


Prior Claim

by skargasm



Series: Prior Claim [1]
Category: Angel The Series, Buffy the Vampire Slayer
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2010-10-10
Updated: 2010-10-18
Packaged: 2017-10-12 18:26:23
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 15
Words: 22,827
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/127764
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/skargasm/pseuds/skargasm
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>This was taken from the challenges section of the Spanderfiles which can be found <a href="">here</a>. <a href="http://qwerty-lee.livejournal.com/profile"><img/></a><a href="http://qwerty-lee.livejournal.com/"></a><strong>qwerty_lee</strong> asked for a fic: "In which Xander's demon-magnetness attracts another Master Vampire, and Spike is forced to go claim him, since he's the only one with the "right" to do so."</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Title:** Prior Claim  
 **Author:** [](http://skargasm.livejournal.com/profile)[**skargasm**](http://skargasm.livejournal.com/)  
 **Rating:** NC17  
 **Pairing(s):** Spike/Xander  
 **Genre:** AU  
 **Chapters :** 13 + Epilogue  
 **Beta(s):** Unbeta'd but proofread  
 **Disclaimer:** Joss owns 'em, I borrow 'em frequently!  
 **Graphics:** [](http://zoesmith.livejournal.com/profile)[**zoesmith**](http://zoesmith.livejournal.com/) \- 800x600  
 **Summary:** This was taken from the challenges section of the Spanderfiles which can be found [here](). [](http://qwerty-lee.livejournal.com/profile)[**qwerty_lee**](http://qwerty-lee.livejournal.com/) asked for a fic: "In which Xander's demon-magnetness attracts another Master Vampire, and Spike is forced to go claim him, since he's the only one with the "right" to do so."

From this, Prior Claim was born!! I'd just finished [The Prophecy of the Defender and the Determined Protector](http://skargasm.livejournal.com/16207.html) so I wasn't sure about doing another claiming fic so soon, but I loved the idea of Spike having to fight for Xander, and not the Scoobies!  


 _  
**Prior Claim Master!post - Spike/Xander - NC17**   
_

* * *

[one](http://skargasm.livejournal.com/28794.html) | [two](http://skargasm.livejournal.com/30721.html) | [three](http://skargasm.livejournal.com/32370.html) | [four](http://skargasm.livejournal.com/33227.html) | [five](http://skargasm.livejournal.com/34293.html) | [six](http://skargasm.livejournal.com/35760.html) | [seven](http://skargasm.livejournal.com/36086.html) |  
[eight](http://skargasm.livejournal.com/36937.html) | [nine](http://skargasm.livejournal.com/37454.html) | [ten](http://skargasm.livejournal.com/38123.html) | [eleven](http://skargasm.livejournal.com/38546.html) | [twelve](http://skargasm.livejournal.com/38713.html) | [thirteen](http://skargasm.livejournal.com/40089.html) | [epilogue](http://skargasm.livejournal.com/34293.html)

* * *

  
  
 **Graphics:** (size, and artist) : 800x600 - [](http://zoesmith.livejournal.com/profile)[**zoesmith**](http://zoesmith.livejournal.com/)

Banner by the amazing [](http://zoesmith.livejournal.com/profile)[**zoesmith**](http://zoesmith.livejournal.com/)  
[](http://s828.photobucket.com/albums/zz205/skargasm/livejournal/fiction%20banners/?action=view&current=PriorClaimbanner2.png)


	2. Chapter 2

His head hurt. Lifting his hand to his brow, he drew back at the feel of liquid, knowing without seeing that it was blood. A thin trickle had fallen down his face, soaking his eye-patch slightly. At least it hadn't got into his eye. And judging by the headache, oh joy, another concussion. He had no idea where he was, but at least he wasn't tied up. Pushing himself up, he leaned back against a concrete wall, letting his head fall back to rest on it. He tried to think back, figure out the last thing he clearly remembered.

They'd been at New Watcher Head Quarters, Giles taking the opportunity to show them around the finally completed buildings. England wasn't quite what he had expected - a lot colder, but much prettier. He'd been looking forward to the next evening and the tour Spike had promised him - said he would take him around some of his old haunts when he arrived. Strange to think of Spike flying in the company jet that Angel had conveniently appropriated after the battle with the Black Thorn. Not quite so strange the fledging relationship that was growing between them.

After the battle with Caleb, when he lost his eye, Spike had been the only one able to look him straight in the face. Slightly insane Spike, no longer chipped, but kinder, softer. And in those long talks before the Final Battle with the First they had shared so much, discovered they had a lot in common. When he lost both Spike and Anya, Africa had seemed like a great escape - a chance to get away from all the memories, deal with his grief, become strong enough to let the person within out. And the person within had been very very happy to discover that Spike was still 'alive'. Happy enough to insist on a break from Slayer Hunting to visit and spend some time. He had hesitated to call them dates, but they had spent quite a few evenings in various pubs in L.A., even heard Spike do his thing at a Poetry Slam.

The call to England - another apocalypse would you believe - had postponed what was seeming to be inevitable, but they had both acknowledged it was a postponement, that they wanted to see where things would take them. And after saving the world English style, and Angel and Spike taking on the evil lawyers officially from hell, this was to have been their chance to see what could be.

He remembered saying goodnight to everyone as they went off to bed, then deciding to take a walk around the grounds. Willow had said they were warded and he should be completely safe. Well this would show her. Smirking at the sarcasm in his head, he pushed his brain to think of anything further. It started to get a bit murky after that - hugs for the girls, a witty comment about getting cold in bed as Buffy blushed and went off to catch up with Angel. Then a wave of his hand to Giles as he went outside. Then nothing.

So frustrating. He heard footsteps, then a key being shoved into a lock, and let himself fall back to the ground and closed his eyes. Better to gather intel by pretending to still be unconscious, make the most of any advantage he could.

"He's still out of it".

"Do you think we should tell the Master?"

"Do you want to be the one to tell him we smacked his property round the head so hard that he hasn't come round yet?"

"Yeah, ok, point taken". A loud sigh, then the sound of footsteps moving further away, a door opening and closing and back to silence.

Huh. Property?

* * *


	3. Chapter 3

Waiting for permission to disembark, Spike drummed his fingers on the arm of his chair. He wasn't known for his patience, and flying always made it worse. Stuck in the air, with no escape it always made him antsy – ok, so if the plane went down over the ocean he could always lie at the bottom til he recovered and walk his way home but that wasn't exactly fun (he'd had to do it once because of Dru but that was an episode best forgotten). And of course the fact that he was looking forward to seeing Xander again had nothing to do with his impatience this time. He wouldn't mind spending a bit more time with the man, he'd enjoyed his company in LA and was looking forward to showing him around London a bit.

Running his hand over his head, he ruefully considered whether or not he'd done the right thing shaving the bleached hair off. The buzz cut felt strange, tickling the palm of his hand. He knew why he'd done it – wanted to make a grand gesture, new start and all that. But it still felt odd. And now he wasn't sure whether or not he liked it – oh fine, he was a bit nervous that Xander wouldn't like it. Sometimes he was such a complete ponce he wondered how -

“You're okay to disembark now sir”. He nodded at the stewardess, jumping to his feet and shrugging into his jacket. It still didn't feel as comfortable as his original duster, but he did admit the Italians knew what they were doing when they worked with leather. Striding through the door, he quickly climbed down the stairs and headed straight towards the reception office in the hangar. Angel had promised him a ride, but he couldn't help hoping that maybe he'd recognise the driver.

* * *

“You what?” Still disappointed that his chauffeur had been some unknown minion, Spike was less than pleased to be greeted by the sight of the Scoobies running around like headless chickens with no one taking the time to explain to him exactly what was going on.

“I said Xander's gone missing. Willow is trying to get together the components for a locator spell and I was about to go visit a few places, see if anyone has heard anything”. Angel led him through to the weapons room where an entire wall was dedicated to all sorts of weaponry. Automatically grabbing an axe and a stake, Spike was seething.

“How the hell did you lot manage to lose him? For fuck's sake - “

“Look, Spike. I get it. I saw you and Xander before he came over here – I'm not blind, I can see what's happening. So save the castigation for another time and help us find him, alright?” Spike sighed heavily, but nodded.

“So where we going?”

“Giles told me about a local pub – sort of the British version of Willie's – seemed like a good place to start”. With a quick kiss for Buffy from Angel, and a generally directed scowl for everyone from Spike, the two vampires left the Scoobies to their research and headed out.

Giles hadn't been wrong when he compared the place to a British version of Willie's – the floor might have been a little bit cleaner, the demons spoke with a British accent, but pretty much everything else was the same. Walking over to the bar, there was an instinctive shifting away by most of the demons in their path – it was obvious they were on a mission and no-one wanted to get in their way.

“Evening gents, what can we do for you? We have a nice line in O'neg – strictly legitimately harvested I assure you”. The bartender could have been Willie's younger, slimier brother and with the soul's full agreement Spike reached over, grabbed him by the hair on the nape of his neck, and slammed his face into the bar.

“Anything big happenin'?”

“Whoa, whoa there gents!! And OW!! There's no need for any violence – if I can help you, of course I will”. Releasing his grip, Spike stepped back. Better to start as they meant to go on.

“Missing human – need to find him. Tends to be a bit of a demon magnet”.

“Sorry gents, not ringing any bells. But..... hold on there mate!! I can ask around – maybe find out for you”.

“And how long exactly will that take? Not known for my patience, mate”.

“Yeah, we know who you are – think Angelus and William the Bloody can come back to England and the demon populace not know?” A vamp down the bar spoke up, and thrusting the bar-man back Spike and Angel moved towards him.

“Aaahh, so ye know who'll be pulling your innards out to play a few games with do ya?” The Irish brogue still sent a shiver up Spike's spine, even knowing that the hulking brute behind him was most definitely on his side.

“I've a message for you, but you won't get it if you stake me”. Taking a sip of his drink, the vamp tried to play it cool but Spike could sense his unease.

“We're listening”.

“My Master, Dreiden, sends his regards and formally notifies you of his intention to claim the seer Alexander Harris. You have the right to challenge but if you do, you will need to show proof of a prior claim and be prepared to back it up in front of witnesses”.

“You have got to be fuckin' kidding me!!! And who the hell is this Dreiden when he's at home?” Furious, Spike fully intended to rip the minion's head off, but Angel held him back.

“Spike – we need to talk. NOW.” Turning back to the minion, Angel formally responded. “Tell Dreiden we'll be there – send details to the Watcher's Building, you obviously know where it is. And if there's even one hair hurt on Harris's head, Dreiden will forfeit and we will insist on recompense. Clear?” The other vamp nodded, drained his glass and moved swiftly around them and out of the pub. Following Angel's urging, Spike allowed himself to be directed out of the building, a quick flash of fang to the barman enough to ensure that any return would garner excellent service.

He turned to Angel, about to launch into a tirade demanding some answers, but Angel's scowl and quick shake of the head was hint enough to let things lie although there seemed to be too much stuff going on without his knowledge and it made him most uncomfortable. Returning to the Watcher's House, Spike sighed heavily. How this lot ever managed to get anything done was beyond him – Harris was God knows where, having who knew what done to him, and they all seemed to want to settle in for some sort of board meeting – it beggared belief, it really did.

Sipping the mug of blood that was placed in front of him, Spike tried to wait patiently for one of them to start explaining. The Watcher was doing some last minute checking of a giant tome of a book; Red was scribbling in a notebook, while Buffy and Angel were being sickeningly affectionate with each other but no one seemed to be _doing_ anything.

“Is one of you lot gonna fill me in or what?” Giles cleared his throat, then looked over at Spike.

“Yes, sorry Spike, I had forgotten you weren't here for our original discussions. Before you returned, we managed to a quick bit of research and get some information together. I don't know how much Xander spoke to you about things that happened while he was in Africa?”

“He said a bit, not loads. We had a few dat – erm, nights out but didn't really get the chance to talk about anything more life-changing. What's this got to do with this Dreiden and why he's taken Xander?”

“Right then. I believe you're familiar with the role Cordelia played for Angel while she was alive and before Jasmine?” Spike nodded, aware of the pain Angel still felt regarding what had happened to the cheerleader. Truth be told, that was one reason why Spike was actually happy that his Sire and the Slayer had managed to get past the whole cookie-dough nonsense and decided to give it a try. His own feelings for Buffy had been muddled for a while, but he was quite clear-headed about her now – wasn't meant to be, never would be again, and he was fine with it. “While he was in Africa, Xander went on a Spirit Walk and during this he received a visitation from Cordelia”.

“What?”

“Unfortunately, he and I had only just started discussing the repercussions and what it meant for him. But in essence, while he was undertaking this Spirit Walk Cordelia gifted him with her visions. Xander is Angel's renewed link to the Powers that Be, repayment for his actions dealing with the Black Thorn. Dreiden is a Master vampire based here in London, and it would appear he's hoping that by claiming Xander he will be able to use him as a personal seer”.

“Sorry, Watcher, still dealing with the whole Spirit Walk thing. What the hell was the whelp thinking?” Willow finally looked up from her scribblings.

“He was thinking that he'd lost Anya and someone else he thought might have come to mean a lot to him”. Her voice was steady, and Spike met her gaze head on. If he and Xander were going to have any kind of relationship, he knew he would be seeing a lot of the witch – he needed to know now if she was going to represent a problem. “He needed to clear his mind, shake off old patterns of thinking and embrace new ones. I would have thought you would be glad that he did so?” Her voice was challenging but only mildly so. Spike nodded, still meeting her gaze.

“Works for me – I'm all for a fresh state of mind, new start and all that bollocks. But dunno about this vision thing – is he gonna suffer the way the cheerleader did before the demon modifications?” Willow nodded her head slightly and gave Spike a small smile – obviously he'd scored points for caring that the man not be hurt by this whole thing. Giles took over the conversation once more.

“Actually, quite surprisingly, no Xander shouldn't suffer too much from the visions at all. Previous 'possessions' seem to have made enough of a change to his brain's physiology that he's more than able to cope with them without suffering unduly”.

“Previous possessions? Hellmouth stuff I take it?” Willow nodded.

“Yep. Think primal hyena then be-spelled Halloween costumes – looks like they re-wired Xander's brain to a certain extent, and the Spirit Walk opened up new pathways, and voilà, all singing, all dancing seer without the excruciating pain!”

“Huh. So what makes Dreiden think he can take control? And what was all that stuff about a challenge and a prior claim? Not heard of stuff like that for a long while in the Lore.”

“Dreiden wants to usurp my position with Xander, although obviously his intention is not to use the visions for good. His challenge means that only a vampire with a prior claim to the man can refute what he's trying to do and the proving it in front of witnesses could be problematic”. Angel tucked Buffy next to his side, paying more attention to the conversation now that Spike had been informed of the background.

“So, what – can't you just claim him as one of your minions since you're with the Slayer? That should be enough right?”

“No, unfortunately not. Xander is a seer in his own right, which means he's no longer viewed as just a minion – like Willow is a Grand Witch in her own right, and with the destruction of the original Watcher's Council, Giles is The Watcher. I can't claim him because Buffy and I have already formalised our claim, and there's only one other vampire with a prior claim”.

“Peaches, I don't think I like where this is going...”

“You know how this stuff works Spike. You probably know more about the Lore than I do – I know you used to read some of the old stories to Dru to help calm her down”.

“So, what – you expect me to go in there and lay claim to the whelp? And how am I gonna pretend there's some prior claim?”

“No pretence necessary Spike”. Buffy spoke for the first time, a small smile on her face. “Parent-teacher night I understand you were given a present by your Yoda”.

“Oh hell no!! You lot are off your rockers!!”

“Sire's Gift, Spike. According to Lore, Xander has belonged to you for years – guess it's time for you to claim him properly!”

“Why is my love life always so friggin' complicated?”  



	4. Chapter 4

The accommodations might have improved but the company certainly hadn't. His pretence of being unconscious had unfortunately become reality, and Xander finally surfaced with a major headache and a change of venue. Rubbing his eye blearily with one hand, he looked around. In the place of honour no less, he was sat on a very ornate throne – decorated with curlicues, scrollwork and basically anything that could be added to make it as pretentious as possible. It was also incredibly uncomfortable, although that might have something to do with the fact that his left wrist was cuffed to it. That in itself was unfortunate, but added to the fact that in the huge hall laid before him, he was surrounded on either side sat on benches by a crowd of vampires. They weren't fledges – well he assumed they weren't, since none of them were in game face, snarling in his general direction, or trying to dine from his neck – but that meant that he was in a bona fide vampire court and that did not bode well. He knew enough about vampire courts to know that it made normal politics look like children's games of baseball, but unfortunately that was pretty much all he knew about vampire courts.

He tried to be circumspect as he looked around, trying to calculate how many vamps were there and what his chances of escape were. Pretty darn slim by the look of things, and yet again the Xandman was waiting to be rescued. This was bizarre in the extreme - he had never expected to actually see a vampire court up close and personal. Suddenly a hushed silence overtook the room, and he looked down towards the large double doors at the far end where everyone else was looking.

"Respectfully rise for Master Dreiden" a voice intoned, and every vamp in the place jumped to their feet. A few were slower than others, and Xander was shocked to see a couple of vamps from the side dart forward and stake them. Damn, looked like disrespect led to a quick punishment. His fear rose, although he tried to tamp it down knowing that the scent of fear was a major aphrodisiac for vampires.

It was hard not to stare as the vampire walked towards him. He was actually quite ordinary looking – neither as tall or broad as Angel, nor as menacingly lean and muscular as Spike. But as he stepped closer, and then took the throne next to Xander he realised that this vampire was far from ordinary. It was easy to tell that he was in the presence of a Master, and his feelings of fear intensified. What would a Master vamp want with him? Dreiden turned to look at him, smiling as he met Xander's gaze.

"It is an honour to meet you at last Seer Alexander", he said, dipping his head courteously.

"Wish I could say the same buddy. Wanna tell me what the hell's going on?" Inwardly cursing his inability to keep his mouth shut, Xander scowled.

"I can only apologise that it is under such circumstances. Unfortunately I was unable to collect you myself from the Watcher's premises – their wards are quite spectacular, the Witch Rosenberg is everything they say she is". Dreiden's eyes travelled over Xander's face, appearing to memorise every aspect of him. "I have long awaited the opportunity to meet you and have the chance to court you".

"You wanna court me? You have got to be kidding me - what planet are you on?"

"Obviously things have not been explained to you. I would appreciate the chance to speak to you candidly. Would you care to walk through the grounds with me?" Xander felt like he was in some alternative universe, where it was perfectly normal to be handcuffed to a throne next to someone who appeared to be completely sane but was obviously a few bricks short of a full hod.

"I'd love to come with you, but this - "gesturing wildly with his handcuffed wrist " - makes it difficult!" Dreiden's relaxed face stiffened and before Xander's eyes the affable stranger turned into a menacing man.

"How dare they!! Who did this?!" Rising to his feet, Dreiden was in full game face, obviously enraged. A man Xander vaguely recognised moved forward, head bowed as he grovelled in Dreiden's presence.

"Master – we didn't want your property to damage himself so we thought - "

"You thought? You thought? I cannot believe you have treated my guest with such disdain". Striding forward, Dreiden backhanded the man across the face, the sound of a jaw breaking clear as he fell to the floor. Following, Dreiden brutally kicked the man, following him as he rolled groaning towards the wall, laying kicks into him all the way. Horrified, Xander could only stare, cringing back into his chair as Dreiden visibly shook himself, turned away from the cowering man and came back to the throne. Reaching forward, ignoring Xander's flinch, Dreiden snapped the small chain on the cuff. "My guest will be treated with all of the respect and honour due to him as my potential Consort! Hear me, all of you – I have formally challenged Masters Angelus and William for the right to claim the Seer Alexander. The full challenge will take place tomorrow and you WILL all be in attendance. Now leave us – I wish to spend time with my Consort to be". Anticipating a mad rush to get away from the complete madvamp, Xander watched open-mouthed as the vampires sauntered out, chattering amongst themselves with excitement. The vampire Dreidan had beaten up pulled himself up the wall, head lowered as he desperately avoided his Master's attention, leaving the great hall as quickly as he could.

Dreiden turned back to Xander, smiling once more.

"Would you like something to eat or drink?" Internal babble threatening to overflow, Xander looked at Dreiden and realised his safest bet was the play along.

"Errr, yeah yeah, sure that would be great. Hey, is there any chance of some painkillers? I have the headache from hell".

"But of course!" Dreiden strode to the doors, opening them and speaking to minion before returning to Xander's side. "Would you like to take that walk now? There is so much we must discuss before the Claiming Ceremony". Holding himself tightly, Xander gave a sickly smile.

"Of course, yeah. Errr, could I use the bathroom, freshen up a little before that? I'm feeling a bit grubby". Taking his hand, Dreiden helped him to his feet, stepping close to Xander and breathing deeply of his scent.

"But of course Seer Alexander, how remiss of me. I will show you to your room where you can prepare, and perhaps you would meet me back down here in an hour?!" Xander nodded weakly, grateful for the opportunity to gather his wits about him. He followed behind Dreiden as they walked the length of the hall, stumbling as the feeling returned to his legs. Instantly by his side, Dreiden solicitously took his arm and offered his support. Unwilling to risk upsetting the vampire, Xander allowed himself to be led through the large doors, across the hall and up a flight of imposing stairs. This was all just getting stranger and stranger, and he clung to the part of Dreiden's speech where he mentioned Angel and Spike. If Dreiden had formally challenged them, then surely that meant the Scoobies would be coming to his rescue? Cheered by the idea, he followed Dreiden as he was led towards a door in a long corridor. Dreiden pushed it open, gesturing for Xander to enter. "Will you be able to find your way back down to the main salon?" Xander turned towards Dreiden to say yes, he would have no problem when his vision blurred and he found himself falling to the floor.

> > _Spike – looking not quite like himself, something about his hair – bleeding and panting for breath. Dreiden – stripped down to just exercise pants, standing over Spike in full game face. Angel, stood to one side screaming at Spike to get to his feet. Surrounded by a crowd of vampires, baying for blood._
>> 
>> A shift. A huge bed. The viewpoint switched and he was suddenly looking up from the bed, his arms and legs tied so that he couldn't move. Turning his head he could see the bed was on a dais, surrounded by a smaller group of solemn vampires, all in game face, staring intently at him. A weight on the other side of the bed caught his attention, and he turned to see -

A splash of water in his face brought Xander back to himself, screaming hoarsely.....


	5. Chapter 5

The formal invitation to the Challenge and Claiming Ceremony arrived the next evening. They were all sat in the dining room, trying to ignore the tension that was palpable. The aftermath of Angel and Buffy's pronouncement – firstly, that Buffy had accepted Angel's claim and 'forgotten' to mention it to Giles and Willow, and secondly that Spike was gong to have to claim Xander, had led to an extremely long and loud argument.

Spike had flounced out of the room (he would like to say it was a dramatic exit but he admitted to himself it was more like a toddler's tantrum), running up the stairs to sit on the roof, smoking there until the sunrise. Part of the problem was that he didn't know _why_ he wasn't happier. It wasn't as if he and Xander hadn't started something when the man visited LA. If it hadn't been for another apocalypse, they would probably be together already. But maybe that was it – he wanted to be **chosen** , not be forced on the man in a life or death situation. Who the hell wanted to be a fate only just better than death? And damn it all, it had felt like they were well on the way to something special. Now he might never know what Xander felt for him.

Oh he'd do it. Went without saying there was no way he could let the man go through a forced claim. He knew Angel had explained it all to Buffy if not to the watcher and the witch. A vampire could claim someone unwillingly, but instead of it being an equal relationship, the human tended to be little more than a shadow, forced to do whatever the vampire wanted. Which was more than likely what this wanker Dreiden was planning.

He spent the day in his room – sleeping, knocking back copious amounts of (freely volunteered) human blood so that he was on top form for the coming fight, and attempting to write in his journal. He had been keeping the journal since just after Fred's death – he found it helped him deal with his soul's madness and clear his thoughts. But he couldn't get his thoughts straight, kept coming back to the fact that he was tying himself to someone for the rest of his unlife and he had no idea how this person felt about him. It didn't seem to occur to him to wonder how he felt about Xander....

* * * * * * * * * * * *

"Kill the messenger?" Spike smirked as Angel nodded. Sometimes he and his Sire definitely agreed on the right way to do things.

"So what now? We ride in and save Xander?"

"Buffy - "

"Ok, kidding, and how Xander always gets away with the badly timed humour I don't know".

"That's cos he doesn't either" replied Willow.

"So, what are the potential results of the claiming ceremony?" Glasses freshly cleaned, Giles was unable to stop himself trying to gather information. He had been most upset by Buffy keeping that aspect of her life secret, although he could actually understand why she had done so. He knew she was worried about their responses – Angel's reappearance in her life following the fruition of his plan to decimate Wolfram and Hart from the inside had been the occasion for one of the worst arguments he had ever had with his slayer – worse, even than her reaction to him threatening Spike with Robin Wood.

"Dreiden has formally challenged for ownership of Xander in his new position as Seer. I can't accept the challenge because – well, anyway, Spike goes in with me as his Sire and Second, accepts the challenge and fights Dreiden. When he wins, we hope they will let us leave with Xander and complete the actual claim elsewhere".

"I don't understand".

"They _could_ insist that the claiming ceremony happens then and there". Willow looked up from her plate, a frown between her brows.

"When you say claiming ceremony – is this like a wedding thing or are we talking about some icky vampire thing?" Spike and Angel exchanged looks, and Buffy blushed deeply.

"Depends what you mean by some icky vampire thing, Luv". Giles' glasses came off and he wiped them furiously.

"Is it an exchange of words or - "

"Willow, I don't think we really need to know all the details. I am actually rather more concerned with the aftermath. The thought that there is a Vampire Court running so close to the New Watcher's Council is of grave concern, although obviously if Spike wins the challenge the Court will, I assume, fall to him".

"That's all well and good Giles, but I would like to know what Spike will be doing to Xander". She sounded so reasonable that anyone not knowing her would have thought it was merely idle curiosity. But Spike could see that she was _very_ concerned, and as a pissed off witch was the absolute last thing he wanted on his arse, he got to his feet.

"Let's go for a walk Red". She looked up at him, then nodded and followed him out of the room.

They left the house leaving the others to discus the ramifications of a souled vampire running a Vampire Court, both turning left to follow the pathway round the gardens. Lighting a cigarette, Spike inhaled and waited.

"Will it hurt him?" He shook his head, exhaling.

"Not if it's done right, no. And whether you like it or not, it would be better for him that it's me instead of Dreiden".

"That's not – well okay that's part – but I really - "

"Wanna try to finish a sentence there, luv? Give me something to work with here". Willow scowled at him, then gave a sheepish smile.

"Sorry. Just worried. I know you and Angel said that this Dreiden will have to treat Xander well until the challenge, but I can't help but be concerned. I don't want Xander to have to do something he doesn't want to do – he's lost the most out of all of us since we started fighting with Buffy. I can't help but wish he could have something resembling a happy ending".

"Claiming ceremony is based around sex and blood – as is pretty much anything vampire-related. You know me and the boy were 'seeing' each other a bit before?" She blushed but nodded. "Well, we didn't get physical but that was more lack of time than lack of inclination on both our parts". She blushed again, but gestured for him to carry on. "They'll want the ceremony done in front of the vampire court, proof that I'm not some random vamp but someone with a vested interest rather than just trying to take over Dreiden's area. They won't much care if it's mutual or not, just so long as one of theirs has the Seer under his domain. S'why the Pouf was never challenged for the Cheerleader – most vamps were happy that under the soul, Angelus had control over a Seer and would do what was needed to keep things ticking over if you will. No one wants another Cassandra".

"Another Cassandra? I thought that was just legend or am I thinking of a different Cassandra?"

"The main bits are the same. The big problem was that no-one believed her when she told them about what she had seen – vamps value the information Seers provide because it means they can stay ahead of the game. That's why Xander is so important". She nodded her understanding and seemed marginally happier. Somehow, Spike knew that wasn't an end to it all.

"Can I ask you something?"

"Ya can ask – don't mean I'll answer".

"You said you and Xander were seeing each other. Does that mean you care about him – even just a little?" Finishing the cigarette, he flicked it off into the rosebushes, debating how to answer her.

"Yeah, you could say that".

"Ok, I can see you don't really want to have this conversation with me. But Spike – you have to know Xander by now. If you feel anything for him, make sure you tell him _before_ you claim him. He needs to know that he's wanted for himself, not just because someone has been forced into it". His head whipped round and he met her eyes. "I would think you would understand that". He dropped his eyes, unwilling for her to see that she had struck uncomfortably close to home, although he got the feeling she knew very well.

"Right – s'that it? Can we go back inside now?"

"Yeah, sure". They turned back towards the house, picking up their pace from the stroll it had been. "Spike, whatever you might think – Xander does care about you. When he came back from LA he was happier than I'd seen him in a long time. Please don't think you're in this alone". He froze in place and watched as she slipped into the house. How had she known that was how he was feeling?

* * * * * * * * * * * *

The vision had wiped him out for the rest of the night and most of the following day. Following his screaming emergence back to reality, Dreiden had carried him into his room and deposited him on the bed. For a psychopathic vamp, he'd actually been very solicitous - providing Xander with painkillers for his headache, a helping hand getting to and from the bathroom, and ordering a small tray of food. If he hadn't been being kept prisoner, Xander would have considered the care taken of him following the vision to be top-notch. Unfortunately, the vampire guards placed outside his bedroom door reinforced his feelings of claustrophobia.

He sat in the bed, head in his hands, still feeling disorientated. He didn't even know what ceremony Dreiden had been talking about, but he somehow knew there was no way he wanted to be Dreiden's consort. And how shitty a deal was it that his very first vision happened when he was **here** , surrounded by enemies instead of safe with his friends? He jerked is head upwards as the door opened, unconsciously lifting his knees towards his chest beneath the sheet when Dreiden walked in.

"Ah Seer Alexander, I'm so glad that you are awake! It is time to prepare for the ceremony".

"What? I mean, hey, listen, do you think you could explain to me exactly what this ceremony is?"

"How incredibly remiss of me - I do apologise". Dreiden sat at the end of the bed, hands clasped loosely at his waist. Xander tucked his feet beneath him, pulling as far away from the vampire as he could get. "Very simply, with your elevation to Seer, it is time for you to come out from the Slayer's umbrella - you are not merely one of her minions any longer. Of course, as the Slayer is aligned with the Souled Ones, it is necessary to challenge them formally. But once that is dealt with, you shall become my Consort and enjoy a very long and fulfilling life by my side. We shall rule the English Vampire Courts together, you and I". Dreiden was waving his hands around enthusiastically.

"Hey! I have never been a minion - and that's way beside the point! I want to know what this ceremony you keep going on about actually **involves**?"

"Very simply - once I have slain Angelus and William the Bloody, I shall make you mine. We will spend an eternity together as Vampire King and Seer!"


	6. Chapter 6

Ceremonial robes didn't suit him. Apart from how incredibly difficult they were to walk in, there was the complete lack of any undergarments – everything seemed very breezy and hanging loose in a less than comfy fashion as he was escorted to the main hall by a Vampire Guard of six. Dreiden had been quite disappointed by his lack of reaction to being the King's Seer, and he'd had to do some swift talking to convince the vampire that he was overwhelmed by the honour rather than completely horrified at the thought of Dreiden slaughtering Spike and Angel. When he had been presented with his own Honour Guard – six of Dreiden's finest vampires, he had made sure to thank the vampire enthusiastically. He didn't want to make him mad by not showing his appreciation. He lowered his head – the hood that was part of the ceremonial robes narrowed his field of vision more than the patch, and he didn't really want to see just how many other vampires Spike and Angel were going to have to deal with to get him safely out of there.

As he entered the great hall, he gave a small gasp, the change wrought in the room slightly overwhelming. The benches the vampires had previously sat on had been removed, and at the far end of the room where the thrones had been was now a dais. And on top of the dais was an extremely large bed. He stumbled, caught swiftly by one of his guards who released him almost immediately. It would seem as though no one had permission to touch him – obviously one of the rules of the Challenge. They walked him straight towards the dais and he gulped. If he let them tie him to that bed, he was well and truly trapped – there was no way he would be able to escape those chains – the handcuffs the previous night had been enough to keep him in place. But what else could he do? It wasn't as though he could overpower any of the other beings in the room with him. Sighing in frustration, he took the three steps up the dais, holding the robes up with his hands and feeling like a woman wearing a long dress. Without being told, he climbed onto the bed and allowed them to chain his hands. He had to put his trust in Angel and Spike, that they would make sure he got out of this in one piece. And surely two against one meant they would win, right?

Slumped on the bed in a half-sitting position, he contemplated how many times this made it now that he'd had to be saved? Oh he knew he was a valuable member of the Scoobies – without him, Buffy would have died at the hands of the Master; Halloween would have been _more_ of a disaster; they wouldn't have beaten the Mayor at graduation; he was the heart of the group that enabled them to defeat Adam; without him, Willow would have ended the world. And now the Powers had chosen him to be the Seer – an honour, a privilege, a pain in his ass, but a demonstration of their faith in his strength. But at the moment he didn't feel particularly strong – he felt weak, feeble and pissed off at needing to be rescued. And his fucking eye was itching under the patch something fierce, and with his wrists chained to the bed he couldn't even reach it to have a good scratch.

The noise levels lessened, and he lifted his head slightly in the hood, watching as the great doors were opened once more and a voice intoned: "Challenger for the right to claim the Seer Alexander, Master Dreiden, House of Lincoln, master of Lower London".

Dreiden strode into the room, full of confidence, almost bouncing as he walked to the middle of the great hall and waited. He was dressed in what looked like a karate outfit, his feet bare. A frisson of alarm went down Xander's spine – Dreiden looked like a master in full control of himself, ready and willing to do whatever it took to get what he wanted.

"Challenger for the right to claim the Seer Alexander, Master Angelus, now known as Angel, House of Aurelius, formerly of Ireland and now joint master of the City of LA". Angel's entrance was more low-key than Dreiden but no less menacing for that. Deadboy was in full on brood mode, brow heavy as he scowled at everyone in the room as he strode to the middle of the floor. He was dressed the way he was always dressed – dark trousers, dark shirt, long duster. He looked like a master who felt no need of dramatics to make his presence felt – his reputation proceeded him, his longevity proof that he could more than take care of himself.

"Challenger for the right to claim the Seer Alexander, Master William the Bloody, now known as Spike, House of Aurelius, formerly of London, formerly master of the Hellmouth in Sunnydale, now joint master of the City of LA". In spite of himself, Xander was vaguely impressed and he smirked. He had never considered Spike's credentials like that but it did sound very impressive. And then his breath caught in his throat as Spike made his entrance.

He _prowled_ into the room, sharp blue eyes taking stock of everyone and everything. He had shaved his head so that the peroxide blond overly-gelled curls were no more. Instead he had a dark buzz cut that made Xander's palms itch and tingle with the urge to stroke his hands over it. The dark hair made his eyes stand out, piercing, crystal cut, all-seeing. Black leather trousers, black skin-tight vest, black leather duster and steel-toe capped Doc Maartens completed the look – menacing, evil as fuck, and please God, **all** Xander's once they'd got this challenge ceremony over and done with. And he no longer cared about being chained to a bed – if he had his way, Spike should be chained next to him and they could spend the next decade memorising every line and curve of that lean, muscular body. Realising that he was staring into Spike's eyes, and his body was having a more than enthusiastic reaction, Xander smiled, head help up proudly. If William the Bloody, the former master of the Hellmouth in Sunnydale wanted him then he was damned well going to hold his head up high because he was more than worthy. Dreiden and his shit-for-brains pack of vamps could just bring it on – they obviously hadn't dealt with people who not only survived but beaten a demi-God and destroyed a Hellmouth – they had no idea how outmatched they were!

* * * * * * * * * * * *  


The general rumble of noise calmed down, and the 'announcer' stepped to the middle of the room where the three master vampires were waiting in a loose triangle, faced off against each other.

"Lords, do you understand the rules of the challenge? There will be no mystical assistance, no third parties, no clan interference? Traditional weapons of claw and fang only." All three nodded.

"Does anyone wish to cede?" Angel stepped forward, turning to the announcer.

"I cede all claim to the Seer Alexander to my Childe, William the Bloody. The Seer was a Sire's gift many years ago and it is long past time he was claimed. William does not need his Sire to do it for him". Sneering in Dreiden's direction, Angel then turned to Spike, placed his hands on those laser-sharp cheekbones and took his pink lips in a kiss. Eyes wide, mouth dropping open, Xander shifted uncomfortably on the bed as his mind raced with many many images – images that involved a bed, two vampires, and a former Donut Boy, (and who knew he had looked at Angel _that_ closely the few times he'd seen him doing tai chi in the gardens!?!) For a moment, Spike hung in his Sire's grasp then he reached up and pulled his head closer, attacking his mouth in return as they both shifted into their vampire faces. The crowd of vamps cheered at this show of strength, commitment and family from the House of Aurelius; Dreiden looked distinctly unhappy, obviously displeased at the lack of loyalty from those of his court.

Spike and Angel pulled apart, licking blood from their lips and shifting back into their human guises. Removing his duster, Spike placed his hand to his chest where his un-beating heart lay and said "Thank you Sire" before handing his coat to Angel and allowing him to move to the side of the room where he was instantly given space to lounge comfortably against a wall.

The announcer coughed delicately to bring order and get everyone's attention back and said to the remaining two Masters :"Do either of you wish to cede?" Spike shook his head, as did Dreiden. "Then by the rules of our Lore, I declare this Challenge officially under way. This will strictly be a battle between the Masters with the winner owning all rights to the Claiming of the Seer Alexander and the loser's territories. Are we in agreement Masters?" Again, both vampires nodded, stepping back from each other. Moving back so that he wasn't stuck between them, the announcer said calmly "Then let it begin".

Xander had expected Spike to make the first move, but he had obviously learnt patience in his time since Sunnydale as he merely walked around Dreiden, noting his stance, learning the fighting space that was available to him. He looked almost as though he were taking a stroll through a garden, he seemed so casual. Dreiden was bouncing on his heels, following Spike's movements with his body as they assessed each other. One of them had to break the stalemate, and Xander would lay good money that it would be -

"You dare touch what's mine?" Spike snarled, obviously furious.

" _If_ he was yours, you did not take good care of him. Obviously Seer Alexander needs a firmer Master, one who will keep a tight grip on him so he doesn't _wander_ off".

"His name is XANDER!" Spike roared before attacking Dreiden with a flurry of blows. Blocking, Dreiden stumbled backwards, taken by surprise by the ferocity of the attack. Catching a thrusting arm, he twisted and spun Spike round, hurtling him into the wall. Quicker than lightning, Spike turned back, a spin kick catching Dreiden to the head and sending him reeling backwards. He followed him, stamping at Dreiden's unprotected back, flipping over backwards as Dreiden caught his leg and tried to pull him over.

Jumping to his feet, Dreiden rushed Spike, punching, kicking and pushing the vampire backwards, before Spike once more took the advantage. The crowd of vampires were roaring as the fight ranged from wall to wall, using the whole floor as the two vampires battled it out. Claw and fang seemed to be pretty nasty weapons judging by the gouges that appeared on each vampire, Spike's shirt hanging in tatters from his neck, barely covering his chest as it was marked up from numerous claw marks, Dreiden's gi jacket hanging off him. They seemed very equally matched, a thought that distressed Xander as he realised this was not going to be a simple fight and stake effort – Spike was truly fighting for his life.

Suddenly, Dreiden slammed Spike into the floor, smacking the vampire's head against the concrete and stunning him. Xander pulled to the limit of his chains as Dreiden stood over Spike, a quick glance to the side showing Angel shouting at Spike to get to his feet. Impatiently, Dreiden dragged the gi jacket off so that he was standing over Spike in full game face. Time slowed down for Xander as the vision came back to him:

> >  _Spike – looking not quite like himself, something about his hair – bleeding and panting for breath. Dreiden – stripped down to just exercise pants, standing over Spike in full game face. Angel, stood to one side screaming at Spike to get to his feet. Surrounded by a crowd of vampires, baying for blood.  
> _

Before his horrified gaze, a minion tossed Dreiden a stake which he drove down towards Spike's chest aiming directly for his heart.


	7. Chapter 7

The speed of Spike's reaction astounded Xander. Wriggling like an eel, he slipped to one side, growling as the stake went _through_ his shoulder and almost pinned him to the concrete floor with the strength Dreiden put behind it. With Dreiden committed to the move he was making, Spike used his unfettered hand to grab hold of Dreiden's hair and wrench his head back, lurching upwards to rip his throat out with his sharp fangs. Dreiden staggered back, clutching at his bleeding throat, shock all over his face. Growling and snarling, Spike leapt to his feet and stalked after his victim. Lashing out with his foot, he broke one of Dreiden's kneecaps with a loud snap, and as the vampire's leg collapsed under him Spike stood over him, wrapped his hands around his head and twisted, pulling it off with a wrench, dust scattering around him.

A stunned silence overtook the room then there was a concerted roar from the gathered assembly! Speeding towards Spike, Angel ripped at his own wrist and offered it to the staggering younger vampire. The minion who had thrown the stake to Dreiden was grabbed and dragged over to the announcer who was once more in the middle of the room.

"Master William is hereby declared winner of the Challenge and has earned the right to Claim the Seer Alexander. Master William, what would you like us to do with this miscreant?" Wiping his mouth on his arm, Spike shrugged back into his proffered duster, leaning against Angel.

"What do your laws say about such treachery?" Angel demanded, fully aware that Spike needed time to recover. The battle had been closer than either of them had been expecting, and the fact that Spike had been millimetres from his final death was a lingering fear for both of them.

"The Laws of the Court are slightly _unclear_. Obviously this minion was obeying his Lord and Master, and as such could not refuse. However, Master Dreiden failed which makes his court the sole province of Master William now – it is up to him what punishment is doled out". Shaking himself back to awareness, Spike stood up straight, determined to be strong.

"Right – shove him down in the dungeons – I _assume_ you have dungeons in this place right?" The announcer nodded. "'K – lob him down there for now, will deal with him later".

"As you wish Master William. And the Seer? The Claiming ceremony should - "

"Not doin' it now. Going to my room – have his guards bring him up 'lright?" Nodding to Angel, Spike strode out of the great hall, Angel behind him, watching his back. He really hoped Xander understood what was going on – there was _no_ way he wanted to do the Claiming Ceremony now. Apart from not particularly wanting an audience for his first time with the boy, he certainly didn't want to risk having to bite him – the way he felt at the moment, soul or no soul, he wasn't sure he would be able to stop once he started sucking his blood.

* * * * * * * * * * * *

"Son of a bitchin' bastard!! Practically gives me a heart attack and then doesn't even _look_ in my direction when he does win. I've a good mind to - " Realising he was muttering angrily out loud, Xander lowered his head once more, hiding behind the hood. He actually did understand why Spike hadn't come to him straight away – he had seen how much pain the vampire had been in, and could only imagine he needed a great deal of blood about now, and although Xander wanted to belong to Spike and share his body, he _didn't_ want to be Spike's food. And strangely the second part of his vision had come true – one of his vampire guards kneeling on the bed to reach over and release him from his chains. So much for his fears that he was going to be 'claimed' (and that just had to be a euphemism for sex because, hello, talking about vampires after all) in front of all the other vampires in the hall. Instead, there was a small crowd around him as he was released from his bonds to be taken to his 'Master'.

Stepping through the door being held open for him, Xander looked up as Spike walked through from the adjoining bathroom.

"I said I'm alright! Fuck it, I just - "Looking up, he gestured to the guards. "Get out". Once the door shut behind them, he walked over and stood in front of Xander but didn't touch him, locking eyes. Not even realising that his hand had moved, Xander lifted his hand and ran his palm gently over the stubble atop Spike's head. It tickled slightly, but felt very nice against his skin. Spike closed his eyes and tilted his head back and forth, brushing his hair against his hand like some man-sized cat. Curling his hand behind Spike's neck, he tugged him forward, still stroking over his head until their lips met. Gently, delicately almost, they kissed for the first time. Xander could taste tobacco, blood, and something underlying that - the essence of Spike. Pulling back, they looked into each other's eyes.

"Kinda milked that for all it was worth, eh Bleachy?"

"Not sure ya can call me that anymore Whelp, 'less you're wanting me to bleach what's left?"

"Nah, kinda like the way it feels". Spike nodded.

"They treat you alright Pet?" Xander nodded. Apart from a mild concussion, he couldn't complain and it would definitely seem like he'd come through this better than Spike. So far at least. Stroking his hand down Spike's neck, he moved it towards the sluggishly bleeding wound in his shoulder.

"You gonna be alright? That looked - "

"I'm fine. You're as bad as Peaches. Gimme a chance to knock down a pint or two, and I'll be right as rain. We just need to get out of 'ere as quick as we can". At the mention of Angel, Xander realised that the other vampire was sat in the corner of the room – he'd been so focussed on Spike that he hadn't even noticed that he was there.

"Will they just let us go?"

Angel sighed. "I'm not sure. Spike is now the Master of Dreiden's court – they might insist on the claiming ceremony happening here and now. If they do – if they do Xander you need to be ready". Moving towards the bed, Xander sat down, arranging the robes around him carefully so that he didn't show off more than he wanted to.

"Ok, somebody really needs to let me know what this claiming ceremony consists of. And why the heck all of this is happening to me now?"

"Sorry Xander, I forgot you weren't there for all of this stuff. And there isn't a huge amount of time now because they may well want the claiming ceremony to happen sooner rather than later. They will want it here to consolidate Spike's victory and mark you as belonging to this court – a Seer is a great thing to have in your court, and Spike's position will be elevated because of it". Making a rolling gesture with his hand, Xander turned to Spike – obviously Deadboy wasn't comfortable spilling the details so he would have to rely on Spike.

"Basically? We fuck – I bite ya and claim ya as my consort. You take your place in Court alongside me. They all get to be snobby wankers looking down their noses at other vamps that aren't in our court and don't have their own Seer".

"Wow! Blunt but full of info. Thanks Spike". Nodding his head absently, Xander leaned back against the headboard and chewed things over in his head. "We fuck?"

"Uh huh".

"In front of witnesses I take it?"

"Uh huh". Cocking his head to one side, Spike wondered whether the other man had finally snapped, his abnormally calm acceptance of things enough to make the hackles rise on the back of Spike's neck.

"Riiight". Shifting forward on the bed, Xander pushed himself to his feet and walked slowly to the bathroom, closing the door carefully behind him. He slid down the door until he hit the floor, curling his legs up under the robes and dropping his face into his hands. He found himself thinking he was entitled to some quiet freaking out time - perhaps if he closed his eyes for long enough, all of this would turn out to be a rather long-winded, nasty bad dream that he would wake from. His exhibitionist streak had died with him in Oxnard - there was no way in hell he was putting on a sex-show for a bunch of evil vampires, even if Spike was sexier than hell without that peroxide job.

Spike's gaze followed him until the door closed, then he turned and looked at Angel. "Well that went better than I thought it would".


	8. Chapter 8

"You really think it went alright?"

Spike gave Angel a scornful look. "Are you out of your fucking mind? He's in there having a world-class freak out – of **course** it's not alright! Jesus, Peaches, I wonder how the Slayer hasn't dusted you before now if you have that little clue how humans' minds work". Throwing the towel onto the bed, Spike paced up and down.

"Oh".

"Right, I need some time – need to calm him down, make him a bit happier about things. I need you to talk to the court, tell 'em that's it for the night – want them all to fuck off out of it. No claiming ceremony tonight – me and the Consort are 'getting to know each other' – whatever you have to tell 'em to get 'em to leave off for the night. Then I suggest you get back to the Watcher's place and let 'em know things have worked out so far, and I'll be in touch tomorrow sometime". He stopped pacing, turning to look at Angel. "Wot?"

"Nothing. Just don't get to see this side of you very often – normally you act as though you have no brains!".

"Ha ha! Does it sound alright then?" For a moment, the insecure Spike showed through and Angel regretted his words. His new relationship with Spike had undergone a change since the loss of Fred, and his invaluable support throughout the entire Black Thorn situation and he was loathe to risk that. But there was something else that needed to be discussed, and far better it be with Xander out of the room.

"Yeah, Spike, it sounds more than alright. Look, I didn't want to raise this now but you know the court are going to expect - "

"I know what they're gonna expect. I – I just don't know. Not sure he'd go for it. Not sure **I** could cope with it. Demon feels pretty possessive over him considering we haven't actually done anything. Not sure whether could do it even once, yeah?" Angel nodded, glad the subject had been broached even if there was no resolution as yet. There was a lot to be considered – whether Spike wanted to run a vampire court, if he did _how_ he did it. Any further discussion of accepting Xander officially into the House of Aurelius could wait. Because apart from anything else, he hadn't had an opportunity to explain things to Buffy. And that was one conversation he _really_ wasn't looking forward to.

"I'll go and speak to the announcer, get him to let the court know to disperse. What is that guy's name anyway?" Spike looked over at him and grinned.

"I have **no** idea. But he seems like a right handy bloke to have around. Might be worth sounding him out a bit, see if he wants proper protection and the like". Angel nodded, then headed towards the door. He turned to Spike as he reached for the handle.

"He already cares about you Spike, so don't start second-guessing things, thinking that he's doing anything because he has no choice. The Xander Harris I know never did anything he didn't really want to do".

"But that's the problem, isn't it Peaches? The boy would do anything for the Scoobies, even sacrifice 'imself. I don't want to be a sacrifice he makes, yeah?" Sighing, Angel slipped through the door, well aware that a large part of the reason for Spike's insecurity was the way he, Darla and Drusilla had treated him from the time he was turned. He only hoped that between them they could get past the circumstances and accept that a better match for either of them was pretty much inconceivable.

* * * * * * * * * * * *

"Xander?" Tapping on the bathroom door, Spike tilted his head to try and hear what was going on inside. "Pet, you alright in there?" No answer. "Xander – if I don't hear from you in the next ten seconds, I'm coming in there whether you want me to or not".

"Ok, ok – I'm ok. Just – gimme a minute alright? I'm gonna take a quick shower – just feeling a bit grubby. Ok? Spike?"

"Yeah, alright luv". Sighing, he let his head thump onto the door. Not quite how he'd wanted to start his relationship with the whelp, and now Angel had to throw a friggin great fly into the ointment with the whole 'welcome to the family' bit. Throwing himself onto the bed, he crossed his arms behind his head, looking down at his shoulder at the rapidly healing wound. Sire's blood made all the difference, and what a shock that had been – he'd definitely not expected Peaches to offer like that.

He knew Angel had already rung and arranged for a delivery of human blood, so now it was time to concentrate on sorting things out with Xander. Monumental fuck up that was. No wonder the boy had locked himself in the bathroom – kidnapped, held prisoner by a psycho vampire, witness to death match whilst tied to the bed like a fuckin' sacrifice, and to hear that he was supposed to go through a vampire ritual surrounded by unknown vampires as his first introduction to sex with the vamp he'd been dating? Yeah, wouldn't surprise him if the boy never came back out. The sound of the bathroom door opening took him by surprise, but he held himself still, wanting to give Xander space. Steam filtered through the open door as Xander came out, his wet hair slicked back and dripping down his neck, a towel wrapped around his waist. Over his arm he carried the ceremonial robes and he self-consciously walked across to the chair that Angel had been sat on and dropped them there. He turned back to the bed, and looked at Spike nervously. A strained silence developed, neither of them knowing how to break it.

"So."

"Yeah. Look, 'm sorry for what I said earlier. Could have put things a bit better than that, yeah? Just – Pouf was makin a real meal o'things and I wanted to lay it out for ya".

"I know, and I appreciate it Spike, I do. It just – just kinda feels like we've been shoved into something that I'm not sure I'm ready for yet, you know? I mean, it's not as if I wasn't already halfway there in my head when we were seeing each other before, because d'uh, but this just feels a bit fast and maybe a bit forced". He rubbed his hand over his head, then knuckled his eye.

"Yeah, Pet, I know what ya mean. Kinda feel like we've been hijacked". Moving closer to the bed, he sat down so that he could see Spike out of his 'good' eye. His other eye almost felt like it was burning behind the patch, like something had got beneath the lid and aggravated the socket. Rubbing it once more, he looked down at the bed, avoiding Spike's gaze.

"But was this where we were headed? I mean, you know, before?" Deliberately keeping himself very still so that he didn't scare the man, Spike nodded.

"Yeah, Pet, this was **definitely** where I was headed, and I got the feelin' that you were too. So, maybe we can remember where we were and just see this as a bit of an escalated programme, yeah?" Slowly, carefully, he reached out until their fingers were touching on the bedspread, a smile crossing his face as Xander turned his hand so that he could take hold of Spike's. Xander looked up and finally met Spike's gaze, a small smile crossing his face as Spike tugged at his hand gently. Spike lifted himself to a sitting position, and leaning forward Xander allowed his lips to graze the cool pink ones of the vampire. Once, twice. He pulled back, gaze flitting between Spike's mouth and his eyes, then locking on those pouting lips as they parted and moved closer to him once more. As he closed his eyes, he felt his mouth taken in a long sweet kiss, a small moan escaping him as Spike deepened the kiss and pulled him into his arms.


	9. Chapter 9

His skin felt too tight, over-heated, sensitive. The raspy tongue over his nipples made his hips jerk in reaction, breath sawing through his lungs as he struggled to breathe. Long, sensitive fingers tracing his ribs, moving round to his back, down to where the curve of his ass began. He could do nothing but hold on, hands gripping strong shoulders, fingers digging in deep as one finger dipped into the cleft of his ass and followed the path to his tight pucker. Over, around, over, around – a slight press, then over, around, over, around. Moaning, hand moving up to grip the head-rail as he buried his face in the pillow. Too much – he couldn't process it all, everything he had been through over the past few days and now this incredible passion - it was too much.

"Spike – please...." Hovering sensation, heightened awareness of a presence, then a cry as his cock was enveloped in smooth, cool wetness to the root. Hips jerking, thrusting forwards, other hand reaching down to caress the fuzzy head, hold it close. Spike hummed, pressing his tongue against the heavy vein pulsing the length of Xander's cock. "Too close – Spike, gonna come..." More humming, suckling at the tip, strong, fast rhythm back and forth until he was wailing, grinding his face into the pillow, desperate hips stuttering back and forth until it broke – HE broke. "ARGH!" Too much, too fast, almost painful, eyes rolling back in his head as consciousness left him.

Rolling over on his back, licking his lips as he savoured Xander's taste, he groaned as he realised they had no lube. Spitting into his hand, he took his cock in a tight grip, stripping it efficiently, looking at the beauty of the tanned body breathing peacefully next to him. So beautiful, so strong and all his. The man was incredibly responsive and sensitive, kissed like a fuckin' demon – sloppy lips, strong tongue, possessive hands holding Spike in place. He had felt wanted – needed as he was pulled close before being toppled over so that Xander was on top of him.

He had looked down at Spike, hazel eye dilated, damp hair hanging over his forehead and framing his gorgeous face, wide mouth deeply red and puffy from kissing.

"We'll take it slow, alright Pet?" His voice had gone rumbly, coming from deep in his chest as Xander let his weight drop onto the smaller man, groaning into the kiss as he felt the hard length pressing into his hip. Tight grip, legs wrapping around his waist so that they were grinding together until he rolled them over onto their sides and took back control.

Xander sighed, moving closer to Spike as he slept, and it was enough. Tugging at his flesh, hand squeezing his balls, Spike released, his cum shooting over onto Xander's hip and stomach. Panting for breath, he rolled towards the man, and mindful of where they were, and wanting to mark his territory, he massaged the evidence of his passion into the younger man's skin. Smooth, tanned skin over strong muscles, the curve of his hip bone fitting naturally into Spike's hand. Fuck, he needed to get Angel to bring some stuff because there was no way he wasn't going to want to take the man – claiming ceremony or no.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

Xander woke up curled around Spike. He was spooned against the smaller man's back, his face buried in his nape and he became conscious of his erection nudging against Spike's ass. Yawning, he tried to figure out how he was feeling. His freak-out in the bathroom had gone some way to actually making him feel better. Spike hadn't lied or tried to cover anything up – he'd been straight up with Xander about the entire situation. And he had been been so _sweet_ when they made love, not pushing Xander further than he was ready to go. He knew it was a stay of execution – the ceremony had to go ahead to stabilise the situation. But he was feeling a lot better about it than he had been before. Spike cared about him, and that made all the difference. Shifting infinitesimally closer, wrapping his arm around Spike's waist so he could stroke his chest. Strange that even asleep Spike didn't seem _dead_ , there was just something so incredibly alive about him even now. He pressed a kiss against the nape of his neck, nuzzling his face into the short hair there, wrinkling his nose as it tickled.

"Hmmmm" Spike murmured, stirring and pressing back against Xander. His arm came backwards to caress Xander's neck, and he twisted his head around so that they could kiss. Shuffling around, he pulled Xander into his arms, pressing his body against his from chest to groin, legs entangling. Pulling back so he could grab a quick breath, he looked into Spike's eyes.

"Hello".

Spike smiled sleepily, humming under his breath happily. God, he could wake up like this for the rest of his unlife – he was warm, tucked up against the living heater that was Xander, snug in his arms. And Xander was a big cuddler – wherever Spike was in the bed, he seemed to follow, glomming onto the vampire and treating him like a man-sized teddy bear.

"Hey Pet. How did you sleep?" Xander blushed, ducking his head a little. He was a bit embarrassed that he had basically come and passed out, not even stayed awake to make sure Spike was satisfied too.

"Good, really good. Hate to spoil the mood but I gotta go pee". Nodding, Spike released him from his embrace, smiling as he watched the man walk to the bathroom, firm buttocks bunching and releasing as he walked away. Once Xander had shut the door, Spike jumped out of the bed, striding over to the door of the bedroom and flinging it open.

"OI!" A scurrying sound, then the announcer appeared just down the corridor.

"Master Spike, what can I do for you?"

"Well, first off you can tell me your name – can't keep calling you oi can I?" Scratching his chest, he did the buttons up on his jeans.

"Carson, sir".

"Right, then Carson. You got any daywalkers around? I need some food for the Consort and a couple of other bits and pieces".

"Certainly sir. If you would like to make a list, I will ensure you have everything you need. Master Angelus called and said to let you know he would be here within the hour, as soon as it's safe to travel".

"Ok, get me a piece of paper and a pen and I'll do this list. Carson?"

"Yes Master William?"

"I want a run-down of the main members of the court – the minions, fledges and potential masters. I want to know who should be at the claiming ceremony, and I want to know by the time you bring the stuff I've asked for. Got it?!"

"Yes Master William". Diving off down the corridor, Carson rushed to get his new master the paper and pen he had asked for. He was anxious to make himself useful in the new court as William and Angelus had the reputation needed to make it one of the great Vampire Courts, and he was determined to be there every step of the way.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

Slamming the lid closed on the cooler Angel wiped his hands over his face. Buffy, Giles and Willow were all staring at him angrily, obviously not happy with how things were going. How could he explain to them any better what had to happen? He had been as blunt as he could be, although obviously he had left out a few pertinent facts – there was no way he was having a conversation regarding Xander being officially welcomed into the Aurelius Clan with Buffy when she was already breathing fire about not being involved in the Challenge.

"Look, there really isn't anything left to discuss. You can't wipe this court out – whether you like it or not, if Spike manages to set up an effective court you will almost instantly cease to have any problems with the vampire population in this area. That leaves you free to handle the really dangerous demons – surely that can only be a good thing?"

"NOT if it means we have to sacrifice Xander to do so. I have done some more research on the claiming ceremony and I am most concerned. I insist that we are given the opportunity to talk to Xander before he goes through with this". Giles was absolutely furious, a Ripper-esque glint in his eye.

"Spike has spoken to Xander, explained to him what the claiming ceremony consists of. Do you really think it will help him to have you there? And there is no choice – if Spike doesn't do this, you might as well draw a bullseye on Xander's because every half-wit Master will want to lay claim to him". Angel sighed in frustration – this conversation was going nowhere, exactly where it had gone over the very long hours since he had returned to the Watcher's house after the challenge.

"If you're saying that we can't see Xander now, when _can_ we see him?!" Willow was at least _trying_ to be reasonable, and Angel was relieved, concentrating on her in order to avoid Buffy's obvious disapproval.

"I would expect that Spike will want to initiate the Claiming Ceremony this evening. I will be speaking to Carson – he seems to be the organiser in the court – for details about how the court is currently running. And there is – well, Xander will need to be officially recognised by the Aurelius Clan. So probably in five days or so?"

"What is this Aurelius Clan recognition you keep going on about? Angel, you wouldn't talk about it last night and now you're only mentioning it as you're rushing out the door. What aren't you telling us?" Nervously spinning a stake in her fingers, Buffy unconsciously barred his exit.

"Err, I believe I can answer that". They all turned to Giles, who was vigorously cleaning his glasses, avoiding their gazes.

"Giles - " Angel began warningly.

"I think it would be best if we can allow Angel to get those supplies to Spike and Xander – Spike needs to be on top form if he's all that stands between Xander and a houseful of vampires. And I know there are – well, things in there that will make the ceremony go much smoother". Angel gave an inner smirk at the blush that lined the Watcher's cheeks. His request for lubricant to take with him on his return to the Vampire Court had had an _interesting_ effect on the Watcher, and not for the first time he wondered whether Giles had ever considered letting Xander know of his feelings.

"What about this ceremony?" Buffy insisted, knowing Giles well enough to tell that he was avoiding something.

"I'll be in touch" Angel said, sweeping around Buffy and heading out the door. If Giles wanted to save him the grief of explaining things he wasn't going to complain. And knowing that he was going to have to stay at the Vampire Court for at least the next two nights meant that maybe Buffy would have calmed down before he saw her again. He hoped.


	10. Chapter 10

"Spike, I have no clothes". Standing in the bathroom doorway, Xander scrubbed at his wet hair, very conscious of his semi nude state.

"What? Yeah, I know – Angel is bringing some of your stuff over when he gets here soon. But Pet, you know what has to happen tonight right?" Avoiding Spike's gaze, Xander nodded.

"Yeah, I know. I – I get it, but that doesn't mean I'm happy about it".

"Want me to thrall ya?"

"What?!!"

"I can't do it, but it can be done – would make it easier on ya".

"Hell no – I mean, whu – God, that's just - " Confused, Xander sat on the bed. He'd be lying if he said the option didn't appeal – not having to be totally conscious of an audience of vampires while having sex was definitely of the good. And he trusted Spike, there was pretty much no question of that – he'd had that mouth round his dick and he hadn't once thought about the fact that Spike was unchipped and only his 'soul' stopped him from taking a chunk out of Xander. "Would you be angry with me? I mean, you **know** I want to be with you so it's not that. I just – man, Spike, in front of a crowd? I just - " He was shaking, he was so wound up – how the hell did his life get this fucked up?

Suddenly Spike was right next to him, wrapping Xander in his arms and tugging him close.

"Xander – I wouldn't have offered if I was gonna get pissed about it. You'n'me is separate to all that shit, yeah? What we do with each other is for us. But this claiming thing – neither of us has a choice, but I don't want you to suffer because of it".

"How would it work? And who?"

"Angel, and it's kinda like hypnosis but not. The only thing is, Angel's thrall isn't the same as Dru's was – it works kinda differently".

"How do you mean?!" He drew back from Spike, instinctively knowing he wasn't going to like where this was going.

"Look, Pet, I don't want to use any of the new vamps – don't know 'em properly so don't trust 'em. Angel is the best option and it will help with other stuff as well".

"What other stuff?" There was a loud knock at the door, and sighing with frustration Spike strode over and yanked it open. Angel stepped through, his arms full with a cooler and a large bag. "Hey Deadboy". Angel sighed and nodded in Xander's direction, raising an enquiring eyebrow at Spike.

"Peaches. Me an' the whelp have been discussing the ceremony and the idea of using thrall to help him get through it. I need you to explain to him how yours works – he's only ever seen the results of Dru's". Grabbing the cooler, he dropped it on the floor near the chair, sprawling into it as he swiftly grabbed a bag of blood and pierced it with his fangs. Grimacing at the taste of the cold blood, he watched as Angel took a cautious seat on the bed, staring at Xander.

"Ok, Xander, the way my thrall works is really simple. It's – well, it sort of a lust spell if you like, lowers your inhibitions, makes you more susceptible to suggestion". Xander frowned.

"Can you make me do something I don't want to do?" Angel shook his head.

"No. I can't make anyone do what they don't want to do – that was Dru's speciality, but even then she had to make them believe they wanted to do it. Mine just loosens you up, lets out a few of the things in your head you might not normally consider due to embarrassment and the like". He looked over at Spike, who was drinking back another bag of blood. "Have you told him?" Drinking his third bag of blood, Spike shook his head. "Xander, there's a secondary part to the ceremony, one that doesn't have to take place in front of witnesses but _does_ need to happen". Frowning even more, Xander looked over at Spike. Although his face was expressionless, Xander knew the blond vamp well enough to know that he was worried what Xander's reaction would be to what Angel was about to reveal and that concerned him. Drawing back, he was suddenly ultra conscious of his lack of clothing.

"What's this secondary part?"

"It's – ok, well it's where you need to be officially welcomed and accepted into the House of Aurelius. My demon needs to accept you officially as Spike's Consort. It's a way of offering protection to you if anything should ever happen to Spike, and it also lets the vamps in court know that you are a true and worthy Consort, not to be messed with".

"Uh huh. And how exactly do you welcome me into the family? Cos somehow I'm getting the impression it's not a wine and cheese party".

"No," Angel sighed, "it's not as simple as that. Basically, Spike er, seals his claim to you, then presents you to my demon to be accepted".

"Why must you insist on speaking in euphemisms Peaches? Just tell the man what he needs to know". Spike was rapidly getting irritated, and he knew a large part of it was his demon's unwillingness to share Xander in _any_ way. Angel scowled, then nodded.

"Spike and you have sex, he takes some of your blood. Then his demon offers you to my demon, who signals it's acceptance through sex and blood". Xander scowled, running his hand through his hair.

"Fuck – does _anything_ you vampires do NOT revolve around sex and blood?" Tugging at his hair, he jumped up from the bed and strode up and down, completely and utterly unaware of the attractive image he presented. The white towel contrasted with his deep tan, golden skin covering lean muscles. He had grown into himself, was no longer the gangly boy-child from Sunnydale. And he was all the more attractive for his various scars – his was a hard-earned beauty, not pretty, but strong.

"Oi, Peaches, eyes off!" Spike growled, throwing the blood bags to the floor and striding over to his sire.

"What? Sorry, Spike". Caught unaware, Angel dragged his eyes away from Xander. He knew part of the issue was Angelus – he wanted to claim Xander: as the Slayer's minion, as a new Seer, but also purely for his own reasons. He had had plans for the boy from the time he faced Angelus down in the hospital, and knowing that his Childe was going to be the one making the claim was not sitting well. Add to that, his inability to have the conversation with Buffy about the clan ritual without revealing previous evil plans by Angelus and he was straddling an uncomfortable fence.

"Fuck it, we need to get this done. Xander – you ready?" Standing in front of Xander, he forced the man's pacing to come to a halt. He reached for his face, holding his gaze as the nervous man tried to pull back. "Won't do anything you don't want me to do, but putting this off ain't helping. We can sort out the Clan shit afterwards – I know you're building this up in your head, but I swear to ya I won't hurt ya. Ok?" Taking a deep breath, Xander nodded. "Right, Peaches – where do you want him?"

"Ok, Xander, you need to put the ceremonial robes back on then sit on the bed here. Spike, let Carson know to get the attendants ready – I don't know how long it will take to put Xander 'under' but we're going to want to be ready". Xander shrugged back into the robes, then took his seat next to Angel on the bed. Wiping his sweating palms down the robes he waited to see what would happen, relaxing slightly when Spike came back into the room after speaking to Carson. "Spike, can you come sit behind Xander please, just so he can lie back and relax on you. Xander, I need you to look at me. In my eyes – that's it. Perfect. Need you to relax for me, I know it's hard but you can do it can't you?" The voice was low, almost soothing and Xander found himself tuning into it unconsciously, slumping backwards onto Spike. Angel kept speaking but the words were so low, he could barely hear them. Spike's arms wrapped around him from behind, pulling him closer. He felt muzzy, woolly headed and he blinked slowly, trying to concentrate. His lids lowered and reopened, so difficult to open them again. Blinking once, twice....


	11. Chapter 11

He was aware but yet not. He was so relaxed – the walk down to the main hall, past the group of vampires barely impinged on his consciousness. Maybe it was because of the touch of his vampire. And that sounded so good to him – HIS vampire. Spike belonged to him. And look, he had a spare! Angel was there with his soothing voice although it was so low Xander couldn't make out the words he was saying.

He felt so horny though – he hadn't felt like this since he was a teenager. Well actually, he had – when he found out Spike was alive and visited him in LA, that had definitely reawakened his libido but he hadn't told anybody. His attraction to the blond vampire wasn't something he was comfortable talking to Willow about, and he and Buffy didn't talk as much as they used to, not since his eye anyway.

Horny and kinda doped up. Which was so strange because he didn't do drugs. He wasn't that stupid. Drugs and living on the Hellmouth so didn't go together! Maybe not doped up, just really really relaxed. He turned to face Spike who was walking next to him, admiring his profile. Reaching out with his free hand (Spike was holding the other one), he stroked one strong cheekbone, admiring the smoothness of the skin beneath his touch. Spike's smile made him smile – he liked it that his touch made Spike happy.

Following where Spike led, he climbed three steps onto a dais and allowed Spike to help him lie comfortably on a very large bed. He remembered being here before, and being so very scared, but he wasn't feeling scared now – in fact, he was feeling incredibly relaxed. But not doped up. Definitely not. He didn't do drugs.

"Xander". Hearing his name, he turned and caught Spike's eye. The blond was smiling at him from his place at the side of the same bed Xander was on, and there was something he was supposed to remember – something about being on this bed with Spike. But then Spike kissed him and he forgot all of that because he was being consumed, his mouth was being taken, and Spike seemed determined to learn everything about his mouth as he examined it as thoroughly as possible with his tongue. He moaned, gasping for breath but unwilling to pull away from those drugging kisses because they felt so damn good. Spike lay on top of him, shifting so that he could lie between his legs and they were nestled close together. God, he was feeling so hot – he just wanted these stupid robes off him so he could get as close to Spike as possible.

Arching his neck, he groaned again as Spike laid a trail of kisses down from his mouth to his chin, following his jawline and down his neck. The solemn chaste kiss he placed on Xander's jugular almost brought tears to his eyes, and he reached up to hold Spike to him, keep him close. The robes seemed to have disappeared, and for a moment he felt cold, but then his body heated up as his vampire lay fully on top if him again, the feel of rough denim scratchy against his inner thighs as he lifted his legs and wrapped them around Spike's waist.

There was something at the back of his mind, something that made him think he should pull the covers over them both, but his mind was so hazy, and he felt so relaxed that he couldn't bring himself to care. And then Spike's hand was rubbing down his chest and taking hold of his dick and there was nothing in his mind but what Spike was doing, the swift movements of his hands, the feel of his nails scraping down his cock and oh God, he so needed to come – he needed to come so much. Snapping the buttons on Spike's jeans was a struggle but he was determined, and soon the two of them were stroking and tugging at each other, cold flesh in hot, hot flesh in cold. The moans and cries escalated and Xander felt like he was going to explode if Spike didn't do something more and soon.

He knew what to expect, and he was ready for it, so ready he wanted to beg.

"Please Spike, please – want you, need you now, please..."

~ * * * * * ~ * * * * * ~ * * * * * ~

He was in game-face and couldn't shake it off, and looking around he could see that at least three of the other Master Vamps who were acting as witnesses were in a similar state. The pheromones Xander was throwing off as he walked into the hall were staggering, and no-one could blame Spike for the smirk on his face as they all wanted to be in his place.

As the two lay on the bed and started kissing, Angel found himself leaning forward, inhaling deeply of the growing arousal of his Childe and his chosen Consort, the desire in his gut to join them a leaden weight. His relationship with Spike had veered on a number of occasions into the sensual, and it had only been the issue of the Black Thorn that had prevented them starting something new, something more equal. And then Xander had come to visit, with his sunshine smile and suddenly he felt Spike pulling away from him, turning towards the young Scooby and laughing more than Angel had ever seen him laugh before. Xander made him happy, even as just a casual friend, and Angel didn't fight for Spike because he wanted what was best for him. Of course, afterwards, when Buffy and the Council discovered that he hadn't turned evil, that he was still fighting the good fight, his relationship with her had rekindled and he was close to happy himself. Claiming her had been the right thing to do, and he was happy with his choice, he really was. But.....

"Gonna make you feel so good, luv – God you're so hot Xander. Fuckin burning me up you are..." Kicking off his jeans, Spike scrabbled in them for the lube. Slicking up his fingers, he slid his hand between Xander's legs, gently inserting two fingers and scissoring them to loosen the tightness of his hole. Xander was moaning, hands clenched at the headboard as he writhed in Spike's grasp. Pressing Xander's legs open further, he eased out then added a third finger. Xander was hissing but not pulling away, instead thrusting his hips up, crying out for Spike to take him. He couldn't remember the last time he'd been so turned on but Xander's responsiveness was unbelievable – so tight, so hot, so needy. Fuck, he was so far gone he had almost forgotten their audience, almost forgotten the need to start the ceremony. "'Gelus – Sire, we're ready".

Stepping forward, Angel turned to face the witnesses and waited for Spike to begin the words of the Claiming Ceremony.

"Sire, I bring before you my proposed Consort. He is worthy of our House and I respectfully ask for your permission".

"What does he bring to our House, Childe?"

"He brings Spirit, Loyalty, Love. He brings the power of a Seer to the House of Aurelius".

"And this is your desire, Childe?"

"It is".

"And will you fulfil the Rites of Initiation to the Clan?"

"I will".

"Then as Master of the House of Aurelius, I officially accept your proposed Consort into our Clan. From this day, he is under our protection. His gifts of spirit, loyalty and love are accepted. His power of being a Seer will be honoured. Mark your Consort Childe and be as one".

With a roar, Spike struck – with both fangs and cock, driving deeply into the man beneath him as he sank his fangs into Xander's neck. The tight heat enclosing him was maddening, the taste, the power in Xander's blood was intoxicating, and he struggled to remember that the man was human, that he needed to hold back and not fuck or suck as strongly as he desperately wanted to. Xander was screaming, head thrown back in ecstasy as with no further touch to his cock he came, splattering himself and Spike with his release. Pulling the suddenly limp man up by his hips, Spike drove himself into the heated depths, hips snapping back and forth as his orgasm attacked him. From the soles of his feet it raced all over his body, sent a tingle through the base of his spine til his balls drew up and he pushed himself as deeply as possible, held himself there as he came so hard he thought he would pass out.

As he slumped down onto the hot body beneath him, he was vaguely aware of the witnesses filing out of the hall, and he felt a bone-deep satisfaction seeping through him. He could _feel_ Xander in the back of his mind as a vague presence, and he knew that would grow as time went by. They were joined now, and nothing could separate them. Carefully pulling himself out of the man, he rolled over onto his back next to him. Rolling his head, he saw that Xander had opened his eye and was looking at him blearily.

"Spike..?"

"Yeah, luv. You ok?" He nodded and smiled goofily. Rolling towards him, he reached out and draped his arm over Spike's waist, snuggling close in a way reminiscent of last night when they had slept together.

"We good?" His voice was husky, sated. "Did it take or whatever?"

"Yeah. You might even be able to feel it in the back of your mind, yeah?" Closing his eye, Xander tried to concentrate but he still felt doped up. Just at the edge of his mind he was aware that there was something he'd forgotten, something else that needed to happen.

"Spike..."

"Yeah luv?"

"Clan ritual? Have we...?" Turning fully into Xander's embrace, he tugged the man closer. God, he felt like shit – always pushing the man for more, taking and taking.

"No Pet, we haven't done the Clan Ritual. I know you're not comfortable with - "

"Is Angel still here?" Tucking his head into Spike's neck, Xander inhaled deeply, soaking up the smell of tobacco, blood and _something_ that was rapidly coming to mean **Spike** to him.

"Yeah – why?" Spike was losing focus, especially as Xander started to mouth at the skin of his neck, sucking hard, nibbling.

"Do it". Rearing back, Spike pulled Xander's face up so he could look him in the eye. Xander stared back at him, holding his gaze.

"Xander – you're still half under the thrall, you've lost some blood - you need to think about this", he protested. Yeah, if they could do this now things would be well on the way to being resolved, and they could get on with consolidating the Court, handling it so that Buffy and the other slayers were free to concentrate on the other demonic influences.

"Angel said it couldn't make me do anything I wouldn't want to do, right?" In a second, Spike slid into gameface, his demon roaring with jealousy. "Hey, hey, no calm down Spike, calm down. How I feel about you is on a completely different plane – you know that, you can _feel_ that, right?" Allowing Xander to stroke his eye ridges, Spike slowly calmed down – lightening the bruising grip he had taken on the man and giving him room to breathe again. "Phew!! Buddy, I had forgotten for a minute that you make me look like a one night stand kinda guy!" Xander could feel he was coming back to himself, that the thrall was wearing off. He was vaguely embarrassed but glad that that part of the ceremony had been dealt with. He didn't regret accepting the magical help, he was just a little weirded out by it. But he also knew that now was the time to get this out of the way, before he came fully back to himself and panicked.

Growling, Spike struggled to think clearly. He knew Xander was right, but he didn't want to share him – he had only just claimed the man, he didn't want to see him with anyone else, now or ever.

"Spike..." Spike snarled as he heard Angel, realised the older vampire hadn't left with the other witnesses and had heard their conversation. "Calm down Childe. I will go if that's what you want, but you know Xander is right, that we need to do this". Still snarling, Spike realised he had pushed Xander behind him, keeping himself between the man and his Sire, protecting his consort. Xander's arms wrapped around him, tugging him backwards so that he fell off balance, landing on top of Xander as they collapsed back against the headboard.

Angel held his hands out, stepping closer slowly. Scrambling to his knees on the bed, Spike snapped at the other vampire, growling. Xander was pushed right back against the headboard, unable to do anything to stop what had the potential to be an incredibly nasty encounter. In a split second, Angel flew at Spike, throwing the man off the bed onto the floor and following him down. Xander could barely decipher what was happening, only able to tell which was which by the fact that Spike was naked while Angel was still clothed. They were ripping and biting at each other, rolling and struggling for dominance. And despite himself, Xander had to admit that it was fucking hot. They were fighting over **him**.

Angel's larger, heavier build finally won out, and holding Spike down he bit into his neck, holding him in place until the blond vamp tilted his head the smallest increment possible to indicate his submission. Angel pushed himself to his feet, stepping back from Spike who leapt up angrily, still growling. Uncaring of his nudity, Xander jumped from the bed and went to his partner, rubbing his arms and shoulders, checking him over for injuries.

"I didn't really hurt him Xander. His demon needed me to win so we can do this – it's alright, I swear". Nuzzling Xander's neck, Spike submitted to his inspection, the growls dwindling down to nothing until slowly his game-face slid away.

"S'okay Pet, he's telling the truth. Had to happen, yeah?" Pulling Xander close, Spike purred a little, pleased that at the first opportunity his consort had come to his side, wanted to check him over and make sure he was alright. Whatever ritual they had to go through, and his demon accepted that they needed to do the ritual to ensure the safety of their consort, Xander belonged to him and now Angel knew it plain and simple. He could do this – once – and then the Seer belonged to him and only him.

* * *


	12. Chapter 12

It felt like a mass of arms and legs. With no further ado, Spike had turned and tossed him onto the bed, climbing on after him with Angel joining him on the other side. He instantly turned towards Spike, unsure, nervous despite being the one to instigate everything.

He felt the large, thick body of Angel pressed all against his back as the vampire leaned over him and grabbed Spike by the back of the neck, hauling him into a kiss. He gasped, mouth open in shock as they attacked each other with lips and fangs, biting at each others mouths. He couldn't hold back a groan as he realised they were sucking and licking the blood from each other's face – wounds they had inflicted on each other in the small fight kissed and almost smoothed away.

"Sire..." Spike's voice was husky, low, tugging at a place low in Xander's belly.

"Childe..." and he knew he had never heard Angel sound like that before.

"I present my Consort to you and ask that you initiate him into the Clan Aurelius, accept him and place him under House Protection". Taking Xander by the chin so that his body followed where he was led, his face turned towards Angel and he found his eye caught by the yellow glow in the normally brown eyes.

"You have chosen well, Childe, and I am honoured to accept him into the House of Aurelius". Before he could take a breath, he found his mouth taken by the larger vampire, a strong tongue invading and duelling with his own. Eye falling closed, he fell into Angel's arms, trusting to Spike that this was going to be alright.

He had no idea when Angel had removed his clothes – all he knew was that he was pressed from head to toe against cool, hard muscles. Behind him, he could feel Spike pressed against his back, hard cock pressing between the cheeks of his ass, ridged face rubbing against the back of his neck. A low rumbling sound soothed him, and he realised Spike was purring, reassuring him that he was there with sound and touch. The rumbling sound deepened as Angel joined in, stroking his chest as he brought his mouth back to Xander's. A slightly rough tongue pressed into his mouth, a strong hand grasping his jaw so it could delve deeper. Moaning, he pushed himself back into Spike whose face was pressed into his spine, laying kisses, nibbling at his vertebrae. A prick of fang, a sting, laving tongue. And God, Angel was moving down, lipping his jaw, mouthing his neck and he didn't know what to do with his hands or his legs because it was all so intense.

He could feel Angel move slightly back, gasping as a large hard grabbed hold of his cock, pressed it against matching hardness and his hips jerked as they were pushed together, soft skin stretched over hard velvet, rubbing together. Angel was saying something, he couldn't make out what but he knew it wasn't English – his Irish accent coming across strongly as he looked down between their bodies, jacking them off together.

"Want - " Slurred moan – did that come from him? - then he was released and flipped over, suddenly facing Spike who took his mouth so he could hardly breathe, couldn't speak, couldn't moan. Angel sliding down his back, strong hands caressing the cheeks of his ass, pulling them apart, then a tongue pressing in deep, deeper, reaching places he had never felt a tongue before. Spike laying kisses all over his face, grabbing his cock, jerking him, no _them_ off together – soft hands, strong fingers, pulling, tugging. "fuucccckkk" pulled from him as Angel seemed to bury his whole face between the cheeks of his ass, finger joining his tongue and searching, reaching then stars sparking behind his eyes as it found what it was looking for.

Pressing forwards into Spike, long, lean, loving arms, hands, body, cock all pressed against him, holding him tightly, grounding him. Thrust back into hot, wet, pushing, stretching, Angel moaning _into_ his body. A pause, Angel reaching off the bed before returning and now it was two fingers pressing in, stroking around inside him, stretching him. Hard body pressed against his back, Spike lifting his leg and tucking it over his own hip, opening him up as Angel moved forward. Hands, fingers holding his cheeks apart, soft skinned, wet hardness held against him, then pushing in – reaching so far, pushing so deep that he almost wanted to escape, pull away – too much going on, couldn't focus, panic starting until a voice calming him, loving him. Spike's hand on his face, gold tinged blue staring at him with so much love, such pride, such _want_ that he relaxed and let that pressure pull him down into pleasure.

Finger shaped bruises blossoming on the skin of his hips as Angel held him still, held him tight as he tunnelled into him, hips snapping back and forth with such strength that he was pushed into Spike on every entry. Spike pushing back, cocks wrapped in cool hand that was still squeezing, tugging, pulling. Angel's voice in his ear, telling him tight he was, how gloriously hot, how much he envied Spike having Xander as his for eternity, that if it were him he would never let him go, would never let him out of bed even because he felt so fuckin' good. Spike growling at his front, pressed so tight against him that the three of them were almost sealed together from chest to groin, a blend of pale/tanned/pale – lean, broad, broader.

Too much – couldn't stand it much longer – push forward into a beautifully punishing grip, backward into so full, deep, hard – breath almost impossible to take, brain melting – someone moaning, wailing, crying out that they were going to, had to, _needed_ to come in a voice that was almost pained. Everything speeding up – pressing harder, pulling faster, heart thundering then they struck simultaneously, synchronised by instinct, the bites rolling his eye back in his head, flinging his body into free-fall and sending his mind crashing into black.

~ * * * * * ~ * * * * * ~ * * * * * ~

It wasn't so much the cool body he was spooned up against that was causing his mind to race – even after one night together, he knew Spike's scent, how that lean, muscled body felt in his arms. It was the cool body spooning _him_ that was making him consider a major freak out as he searched his memories to figure out what the hell was going on. He couldn't even peer over his shoulder and see because it was his wrong side. Looking at the long, muscled arm thrown casually over his waist, he tried to identify the body from that. Pale, long, cool. Yeah, all coming back to him now. Angel. Rituals. Ceremonies. And oh shit, what the hell was going on with his eye?!!!

Screaming in pain, Xander struggled to get away from the bodies and arms clinging to him. Wrenching off the patch that he rarely removed, he clawed at his socket, feeling like molten lava was being dripped directly into it. Mother of Christ!!!

"XANDER!" Between them, Angel and Spike managed to force the man down onto the bed, holding him still by his arms so that he stopped clawing at his face. The whole time, Xander was screaming and fighting them, arching off the bed with his whole body.

"What the fuck is goin' on? So help me Angelus, if this is some reaction to your thrall I'll fuckin' - "

"It's not a reaction to the thrall - there's something going on with his eye!! We need Giles and Willow! I'm going to call Carson, see if he can get hold of them!" Just as suddenly as it started, Xander's screams stopped and he slumped onto the bed. While Angel raced off to get hold of Carson, Spike yanked on a pair of jeans, picked Xander up carefully and carried him off to their room. Frantically searching within his mind for their new link, fear speeding his steps as he couldn't find the other man there at all...


	13. Chapter 13

He hadn't moved. His chest rose and fell as he breathed, but he simply lay there. No other signs that he was in there. Spike was immovable, refusing to do anything until Xander came out of this _trance_ or whatever it was. For a week there was no change. Willow strangely enough was looking after Spike – forcing him to drink and rest. Giles was researching, using all of his resources to figure out what had happened and having absolutely no luck. Buffy and Angel were fighting – she had just _known_ that the Clan Initiation ritual had taken place and she was pissed. So they fought – a lot – at least they did when she wasn't terrorising the Court simply by stomping around. Angel and Carson were working closely together, consolidating Spike's place as Master, enforcing new rules and happily staking offenders to get the point across. So far, the Court were happy – their new Master was dedicating time to his Consort which was only right and proper, and they had their own Seer, placing them higher on the Vamp Totem pole regardless of the fact that it wasn't Dreiden. For many of them, they were actually happier that it wasn't Dreiden as he hadn't been the most sane of Masters. And Spike? Spike was lost. He could do nothing but watch over Xander, willing him to come back, wake up, curling up next to him and silently weeping himself to sleep, rapidly losing all hope at the lack of response – externally or in his head.

> >  _"I'm hungry". Xander's voice was whiny, although the hug he gave Spike was warm, loving and strong._
>> 
>> "What do ya want then? Tell me and I'll get it for ya". Snuggling closer, soaking up the warmth the bigger man threw off continually, Spike was happy to indulge his every whim.
>> 
>> "Really?" Spike nodded. "I want a proper giant American burger with the works. And fries – not chips cos they're just _wrong_ over here. And twinkies – man, I would kill for a twinkie".
>> 
>> "Ok. You wake up and you can have it".
>> 
>> "Promise?"
>> 
>> "Yeah, luv, I promise".

The gentle kiss to his brow made Spike stir, stretching his body to pop out the kinks as he rearranged himself around Xander.

"Hey, Fuzzy-head – where's my burger?" The voice rumbled in his ear as he had laid his head on Xander's chest, and he smirked at the complaint mixed with an insult.

"Yeah, yeah, I'll get one of the minions to go and get it for ya as soon as it's dark enough. That alright with you?" Tugging Spike closer, Xander hummed his agreement. Pulling his vampire up his body, he kissed him gently on the lips, rubbing his hand over the fuzzy hair.

"Hey Spike?"

"Yeah?"

"Why did we sleep with the lights on?"

"The lights aren't on, ya daft git – you must be – fuckin' hell, Xander you're awake!!!" Leaping up from the bed, Spike looked down at the other man in shock.

"Well d'uh!" Shifting up the bed, Xander sat with his back against the headboard, rubbing at his eyes to clear them of sleep. Then he froze, hands still pressed to his face. "Er – Spike?"

"Huh? Yeah?"

"Spike, from anyone else this would sound incredibly stupid, but how come I have two eyes?"

~ * * * * * ~ * * * * * ~ * * * * * ~

Xander wolfed down his burger and fries while the 'discussion' raged all around him. Ok, so it wasn't a proper American burger with the works, but it was close enough and he was starving. He felt like he hadn't eaten for a week, and he wasn't far wrong. He had no memory of his time in a trance or whatever – the last thing he remembered was the Initiation Rite and mind-bending pleasure, and boy that was a difficult memory _not_ to smile over when Buffy was glaring daggers at him in between hugging him hard enough to crack ribs. He couldn't figure out why he wasn't more freaked about the sudden reappearance of his eye, but to be honest it seemed like everyone else had that covered and he was so damned hungry. Out of the corner of his eye, he could see Spike was staring at him. The vampire hadn't left his side from the time he had yelled for everyone to let them know that Xander was awake, a constant _touching_ presence, even if it was just toes touching under the table, or thighs pressed together as they sat next to each other.

As promised, Spike sent a minion out for Xander's meal at the first sign of darkness, and Xander had an internal giggle at the thought of a vampire queuing up in MacDonald's or wherever! He tuned back into the conversation, just in case they were saying anything interesting.

"It's inconceivable for his eye to regenerate spontaneously. My understanding of both of the rituals was that there was no blood exchange between human and vampire. And even if there was a blood exchange, surely it wouldn't have this kind of effect". Giles appeared torn between fascination and fear, occasionally falling into Watcher-lecture mode which wasn't sitting well with Angel.

"That may be so, but nevertheless, the rituals seem to have been the catalyst. It was after the second, em, ritual that Xander fell into the trance, so it makes sense that they had some role to play".

Nope, nothing new being discussed there. The argument had been raging back and forth for the last 45 minutes and they were no closer to anything resembling an explanation. Spike's foot tapped against his to get his attention, and wiping his mouth on his napkin, he turned towards him.

"Think it might have summat to do with the Seer thing?" He tilted his head, considering. That made a lot of sense to him.

"It might well be. I mean, Caleb took my eye because he said I 'saw too much' – maybe the Oracles or PTB wanted to be sure I saw what I needed to see". His hand drifted across the table, fingers entwining with Spike's, picking at the already chipped black polish.

"Hope you're gonna repaint that when you're done" Spike nodded towards his fingers, smiling. "Wanna go visit the Oracles? I know the Pouf used to see 'em in the States but I think they're inter-dimensional so we should be able to do it from 'ere. Might have to ask someone in the magic community though".

"Yeah, I'll paint your nails for you, and oh my God I have turned into a girl! Maybe Willow will know where we could start?" Looking furtively round, Xander managed to catch Willow's eye, gesturing her over. She sidled sidewards, leaving Buffy, Giles and Angel still arguing. "Hey Wills. Have I told you thanks yet for taking care of my Vampire for me?"

She sat down next to him, wrapping her arm around his shoulders and dropping her head to rest there.

"It was the least I could do since I didn't get to buy you a proper wedding gift. And where are you guys registered anyway?"

"Harrods of course. Only the best for the Master of the City's Consort my dear". Xander's faux English accent made Spike wince, although he couldn't hold back a smile at listening to the two of them babbling together.

"Oi! Only Master of the Lower City, Pet. Don't want to try to run all of London on me own". Spike smirked. "Well at least not yet!"

"Hey, we could do a combo trip – get your wedding present and go visit the Oracles because I know that's what you two were talking about!!"

"Because your brain was working along the same lines? See, we still have that whole Scooby Telepathy thing going – I wonder if there's a way we can test it over distances? And please tell me that you're not in my mind all of the time, cos there have been a few occasions lately where it's a NC17 place to be and I would never be able to look you in the face again if I thought you knew what I'd been up to in technicolour!"

"How do you manage to say all of that in one breath, Pet?" Shaking his head in shock, Spike held back his laughter.

"Practice, Spike, lots and lots of practice. And hey, Xander, you could use it for – well actually I shouldn't even be thinking about how your ability to hold your breath for a long time could come in handy, especially since I know you can swim a whole length without taking a breath, and since when did saying _length_ become something smutty?!". The three of them ended up giggling, more with relief than anything. The bond between Willow and Spike that had begun after he got his soul had now been strengthened by their shared love for Xander.

"I do wish you would try to take this seriously. Do you realise the far-reaching effects this could have?" Giles' irritated voice broke into their quiet joking, and instantly reverting to their teens Xander and Willow both straightened in their seats and put on their 'we're paying attention' faces. Spike on the other hand merely scowled, and stood up, moving towards the kitchen door where he lit up.

"If you'd been paying attention Watcher instead of arguing with Buffy and the Pouf, you'd have heard us discussing the idea of approaching the Oracles, see if they can shed some light on this whole thing. Xan reckons it might be a gift from them to their Seer, and I think he's on the right track. We just need to find a way of visiting them and asking". Stung silence from Giles greeted Spike's rebuke, then he seemed to realise it was well deserved and stepped forward.

"Right, yes, well I apologise Spike. I should have realised you were taking the situation seriously. It's just such relief to have Xander whole and hearty – I'm sorry". Slumping into a seat, Giles wearily took his glasses off and gave them a clean. He was so relieved to have Xander back safe and sound, but couldn't help but be concerned. More magical intervention hardly seemed something they should be celebrating and he was worried that the new eye came with attachments and/or consequences.

The slam of a door marked Buffy's exit, Angel's face a clear indication of what direction the conversation had gone in after Giles had left them to it. His head was lowered in defeat, and he gave a tired sigh before turning back to the others.

"So, we're off to see the Oracles?? Better make sure we have a nice gift for them – I think this is gonna cost us!"


	14. Chapter 14

Victoria Station seemed like a pretty busy place to get in touch with the Oracles but Angel swore blind that his contact had told him this was where they had to go. Moving through the main station, Xander had to smile – even at the late hour, there were lots of people milling around, the typical farewells and greetings as people came and went. Spike wandered off for fifteen minutes or so, returning with a WHSmith bag (a shop in the station that sold newspapers and other stuff) which Xander looked at questioningly.

"You'll see, Pet".

Angel had provided the main gift for the Powers due to his previous experiences dealing with them – that, and the fact that Xander was meant to be _his_ Seer after all. He'd had a long conversation with Xander, describing his previous experiences with the pair, attempting to prepare Xander for possible disappointment. The Oracles had never been particularly forthcoming with helpful information, and he didn't want the man pinning all his hopes on them clearing up the mystery.

It was a strange experience talking to Xander now that he had both eyes – he kept staring, then worrying that Xander thought he was staring because of the eye, then worrying that Xander thought he was staring because of the sex – yeah, it was a full on uncomfortable experience and Angel was doing his best to stay away from Xander. It didn't help that the young man smelt strongly of family. A week spent wrapped in Spike's arms had infused him with his scent, and that combined with his acceptance into the clan meant that Angel's demon wanted to get (and stay) very close to Xander. Especially since Buffy was not only giving him the cold shoulder but threatening violence as well.

The five of them left the station and quickly took the steps down to the underground. Angel led them to a turnstile that was strangely quiet even while all the others were bustling with people.

"Come on". Spike and Xander followed him through the turnstile without the need for a ticket, a sharp inhale coming from them as they stepped into a darkened cave with sandy floor, a bonfire burning in the centre. Stumbling, Spike and Xander scowled at Angel who was looking very confused. They turned to look behind them, but neither Willow or Giles came through.

"I don't understand – this should have led us to the Oracles, not the Conduit".

"The Oracles are no longer your contact – henceforth you will speak to the Powers through us". The disembodied voices that came from the flames were a man and a woman, speaking in an almost synchronised fashion.

"Well that buggers up my pressie then" snarled Spike, tossing the bag to the ground. Xander picked it up and opened it, smirking as he saw it was a copy of Stephen Hawking's "A Brief History of Time". Yeah, that would appeal to Spike as a gift – part sharing of knowledge, part snarky stab at the Oracles and their predeliction for messing with time.

"Errr, yeah, sorry – I'm not sure what sort of tribute we were supposed to bring" said Angel.

"Tribute is not required. You have brought our Seer?" Stepping forward, although he wasn't sure why since he wasn't talking _to_ anyone but was standing in front of the equivalent of a little campfre, Xander cleared his throat nervously.

"I'm here. The eye – it was from you then?"

"Yes. We wanted to thank you for your dedication to fighting for good – it cost you much but you continued to do so. And as our Seer, we want your vision to be as clear as it can be".

"Well thanks – for the eye. And for Spike. I er, I brought this for the Oracles, but I guess you can have it". He moved towards the bonfire, rummaging through his jacket pocket before pulling out and placing a small carving by the side of the flames. "It's not much, but it was the first thing I carved after I lost my eye."

"It is a beautiful gift you have given us. We thank you for your tribute, Seer".

"Enough with the thank yous! So what does this being a Seer thing mean for Xander? And what's with all this claiming stuff? I thought you wanted us working for good, but you've made it so that I'm running a friggin vampire court!!".

"Be at ease William. You are on the right path. You are the right mate for Xander who will be your family through the years ahead, keeping you focused on what you are fighting for. You are not like our other Champion – you are not fighting for redemption, or the chance to be human. You fight for those you love". Appeased, Spike nodded, taking Xander into his arms and stepping back. "We must warn you all – a battle is coming where sides must be chosen. Build your court well and keep your family close. You will need them in the future".

"When in the future? Don't go back to being cryptic on us now!" Angel exclaimed.

"Your time means little to us. It could be soon or it could be well into the future. Simply do as we suggest and all will be well". Before any of them had a chance to say anymore or ask anymore, an invisible force knocked them backwards and they found themselves back in the station on the other side of the turnstile.

"So where do we go to see these Oracles?" Willow asked, stepping through the turnstile ahead of Giles.

"Bloody hell, Red, we've already been and come back!!"

"What? But I wanted the opportunity to speak to them – ask them about some of the prophecies we are just unravelling at the new council" Giles protested.

"G-man, somehow I don't think you would have found them much help," Xander said, grabbing Spike by the hand and tugging him back the way they had come. Giles, Willow and Angel hurried to catch up with them.

"What's the hurry Xander?"

"The hurry is Spike promised to show me the sights and so far all I've seen is the Watcher House and the inside of the Court. I want to go sight-seeing and spend some quality time with my vampire – building a court can wait" he replied over his shoulder, pulling a smiling, agreeing Spike in his wake.

"'Sides, me and the Whelp have some catching up to do – we've done a lot of sleeping together but not much else".

"Thank you Spike, I really didn't need to hear that", Giles retorted, blushing slightly while Willow giggled. Angel trailed behind them, deep in thought. Giles turned to him, and asked "Are you alright Angel?"

"What? Oh yes – I think I need to catch up with Buffy, try to sort things out between us. The Conduit warned us that a battle was coming, and choices would need to be made. I think she and I need to clear the air before anything like that happens."

"Yes, right, that would make some sense". Giles stopped in his tracks, blocking Angel's move. "Angel, I wanted to apologise. If the strain between Buffy and yourself is due to how I explained the ritual, I am truly sorry".

"Look, Rupert, I know you weren't happy to find out that Buffy and I had gone through the Claiming Ceremony without speaking to you about it – that was her decision to make. But I would really appreciate it if you would let me discuss any future vampire lore with her. Half of the problem at the moment is that she won't let me explain how or why the ritual had to take place. Your Watcher's diaries are filled with half truths and supposition and it's dangerous". Giles nodded, accepting Angel's anger.

"I can appreciate that, and I understand that I am no longer Buffy's Watcher – we are well past that stage. However, I would still have hesitated if she had told me what she wanted to do. Above all else, she is the Slayer and she needs to ensure that her senses are not dulled or compromised". Angel nodded back curtly. They understood each other then. "With all that being said, I believe she was going towards Finsbury Park – that's where she goes when she needs to think". Smiling quickly in gratitude, Angel turned and sped off in that direction, knowing it would be faster for him to run there than catch two underground trains.

Sighing, Giles turned to catch up with Willow and they followed Spike and Xander. He was eager to speak to Xander and Spike about the Oracles and find out what they had said, but he knew he needed to get hold of them before they got too involved in their plans for the evening. There was still much to do to sort out the vampire court, and figure out how they were all going to work together to handle Xander's visions to waste too much time. And frankly, he didn't want to witness Spike and Xander as they went through their honeymoon phase...


	15. Epilogue

"You wanna know what I see? I see that if a certain vampire doesn't get his sexy ass out of the shower now, he won't deal with that Sn'rgal infestation in time to clean off any slime he gets hit with before we're due over at the House, which means he certainly won't be getting any hot consort sex!" Moaning and laughing, Spike reluctantly stopped groping Xander's shower slick body and stepped out of the cubicle.

"Fine, Pet, if you want to send your vamp off to his possible death without a decent shag, I'll just be grabbing a few minions and going out to risk my life for Queen and Country 'eh". He smirked at the raspberry Xander blew at him from under the water, and grabbed one of the huge fluffy towels to dry himself off. Unlife was good - unlife was better than good.

The Magnificent Pouf and Buffy had finally reconciled after six months of the pair of them brooding and complaining and generally putting a real dampener on his honeymoon with his Claimed. Angel had tried pulling the _'I didn't want to but I had to do it'_ card but that hadn't worked out too well for him, especially since there were times when it became blatantly obvious that if a replay was offered Angel would be in there like a shot. NOT that there was a chance of a replay - Xander belonged to Spike and Spike only. Giles had tried to explain to Buffy that it was a demonic side-effect, that Angel's demon saw Xander as part of his family, and therefore his property to do with as he wished. That set them back a good few weeks, with Angel doubly pissed at Giles and asking him to _please_ stop helping.

Typically it was Xander who helped sort things out. A vision sent Spike and Angel out into what turned out to be an ambush, and only a second vision made it possible for the Slayer, the Watcher and the Witch to find them. To top it all off, Xander commanded the entire rescue mission from their Court, a new-found ability to 'reach' Buffy through their demonic familial link the deciding factor in everything working out. Being able to _feel_ how Xander felt about Spike had gone some way to removing any underlying jealousy Buffy was struggling to deal with, and she had finally accepted that the ritual had needed to happen to bring them all together the way the Conduit insisted they needed to be. It was unfortunate that that same link enabled Buffy to sense Angel's continued interest in both Spike **and** Xander, but none of them were miracle workers - she'd have to deal with her insecurities about that herself.

Willow had proven correct inasmuch that Xander didn't suffer with the visions. He was often to be found carving in the courtyard with a notepad and pen by his side, working with the various pieces of wood and writing down the visions as they came to him. He was very popular with the Court, a fact that made Spike's demon growl whilst purring at his mate's ability to charm every one and everything they came into contact with. Many of the minions (once they had proven they were happy to live under the new rules and no longer kill innocents) were the recipients of small carved gifts, and happily escorted Xander on his trips to get supplies, etc when Spike wasn't available. Carson was like a puffed up major domo, running the court as per Spike's instructions (and often purely as he saw fit) and ensuring that his Master William and his Beloved Consort never had to ask for a thing.

The strangest thing to occur since the claiming ceremony and the return of Xander's eye proved to be the relationship Xander had built with the Conduit. To everyone else who was granted access, it appeared as nothing more than a small bonfire in a cave. But since his gift of the first carving he did after losing his eye, Xander had somehow become a favourite of the Conduit. Without making the mistake of assigning human emotions and traits onto the Being, it seemed to make much more of an effort not to be _too_ cryptic when they had to contact it, and each time they went Xander stayed longer and longer, just talking. When Spike asked him why he couldn't just ask his questions then leave, Xander said he thought "they" sounded lonely and a little conversation was a small price to pay for them returning his eye and gifting him with Spike for eternity.

Speaking of eternity, Spike wasn't looking forward to Buffy figuring out that since the claim she had barely aged. He didn't particularly want to be around when she did - the six months of her and Angel's little tiff was bad enough - so he'd asked his boy nicely if he could tune his visions in and see when it was likely to happen that she switched on the dull lightbulb of her brain and worked it out. Xander had told him that he wasn't a TV that could be _tuned_ in to a particular channel, which had led to Spike trying to find Xander's remote control, searching various parts of his body for any responsive 'buttons' and another satisfying day in bed was had by both.

He'd been so busy wool-gathering that he hadn't even started to get dressed by the time Xander strode naked out of the bathroom, a towel rubbing vigorously at his hair. For a moment, Spike was entranced : droplets of water sliding down the strong, tanned body; smooth skin over muscle; lean thighs, strong legs that could wrap around him so tightly sometimes that it was a good thing he didn't need to breathe. And that face. The clear hazel eyes, eyes that could be so full of warmth and compassion, but his absolute favourite was when Xander was looking up at him, eyes hazy with lust and love and need. Pouting red lips that were most often stretched in that fantastically warming smile. Tossing his towel to one side, Spike walked over and pushed Xander over onto the bed, following him down and pressing his wrists to the mattress in a tight hold. No struggles - Xander merely smiled up and him.

"What about the Sn'rgal?"

"Fuck 'em - the minions can deal with it".

"Should I be calling the House and letting them know we won't make it for dinner?" A shimmy and thrust of his hips, his legs spreading to welcome Spike between them and a smirk on his face.

"Nah. They'll suss it out when we don't show up". A hiss and a moan as Spike thrust his hips forwards, hardness rubbing against velvety smooth hardness, wet tip digging into a hip bone as they moved into a familiar yet still exciting rhythm. He released one wrist so he could reach down and take them both in hand, stroking slowly, smoothly, purring as Xander's hand came up to rub over his recently shaved head.

"Love you, Fuzzy-head". Tugged down to a deep kiss, wet, warm, darting tongue and clinging lips. Quickening strokes, panting breaths, quiet moans.

"Love you too, Pet. Looks like I'll get my shag after all".

The laughter coming from the main bedroom echoed in the corridor, and Carson smiled, gestured one of the minions over to pass on the details of the vision, and moved off to call Master Angelus, the Witch, the Slayer and the Watcher to let them know that Master William and his Seer would not be making it over there for dinner. Again.


End file.
